Spring Break with Derek
by BritPaige13
Summary: Derek is looking forward to a Casey-free Spring Break, but what fun would that be?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own LwD.

Note: This is not the sequel to 'Compatibility Quiz'.

Thanks: To the readers and reviewers. Hope you enjoy!

**Spring Break with Derek**

Rob was seated at his desk working on a paper for sociology class when his roommate banged through the dorm room door.

"Robby, my friend, wait until you see what I just scored." Derek gloated, waving around a blank DVD case.

"A movie, D? Not much of a score." Rob turned back to his laptop.

"Oh contraire, Rob. This..."

Rob turned to stare at his friend. "Contraire?"

Derek sat on the end of his roommate's bed and waved his hand dismissively, "Casey. Anyway this is not just a DVD." He leaned toward Rob and pushed the DVD case into his face. "_This_ is research for our spring break trip." Derek smiled triumphantly and leaned back.

"Spring break trip?" Rob asked in confusion.

Derek sighed exasperatedly, "Keep up, Robby. Spring Break. Y'know: sun, sand, beer, girls in bikinis." Derek wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh." Rob watched Derek insert the DVD into the player. He wasn't convinced this was a grat idea. It hasn't taken him long to realize his friend and roommate liked to dream big. Rob watched the screen light up.

**GIRLS GONE WILD – MEXICO**

**UNRATED VERSION **

"Derek," Rob said in shock.

"That's right, Rob." Derek said, his eyes glazed over, totally missing his friend's shock. "Just imagine it. One whole week in Mexico. Just the guys and random beautiful girls looking for one-night stands. It's perfect."

"I don't think Blair's going to like this." Rob responded glumly.

"Blair-Smair. She has no say in this. We're men. We do what we want, when we want, how we want." Derek said arrogantly.

Rob let out a sigh and covered his face with his hand. He knew better than to argue when Derek had that planning gleam in his eye.

LwD~

A week later, Rob entered the dorm room after class. He saw Derek sitting at his desk working on his computer. "So Derek," Rob started out a little unsure of how this conversation was going to go. "You know that whole Spring Break in Mexico thing?"

"You mean the Best. Trip. Ever?"

"Yeah that." Rob steeled himself. "You know how you said that your friends from high school were coming? Sam and Ralph?"

Derek turned and looked at Rob who was suspiciously beating around the bush. "Yeah."

"Well would it be alright if I brought someone?"

"Is that all? Sure! The more the merrier. Why were you so nervous to ask me?" Derek asked turning back to his desk.

"It's Blair." Rob cringed, expecting the eruption.

"What the hell Rob!" Right on cue. Derek jumped up from his seat and stood in front of Rob waving his arms in the air. "Why the hell would you want to bring your girlfriend? What part of Girls Gone Wild Guys' Only Trip did you not understand?"

"Look Derek, this is my spring break too. I want to be with Blair."

"Hmpf. I don't like it. You know what will happen if Blair goes. Casey will want to go too. And I absolutely _will not_ take Princess Kill-Joy along."

"D, be reasonable." Rob pleaded as he moved past his friend and sat on the bed.

Derek rounded on him, still standing. "You want reasonable? I'll give you reasonable. You're out. I'll find someone else to take your place. Then you can go do whatever you want with Blair."

"Derek, that's not fair."

"Forcing me to spend my Spring Break with Casey isn't fair. I'm sorry, Robby. Is it going to be bros or hoes?" Derek stared Rob down, and after a minute, just like he knew he would, Rob broke.

"Bros." Rob said with a sigh and looked at his shoes.

"Now we're talking." Derek rubbed his hands together and walked back to his desk to sit down. "Let me show you the plans I made this afternoon. See I booked us at this all-inclusive resort..." Derek said turning back to his laptop, clicking.

~LwD~

"What! They're going where?" Casey screamed at her roommate Blair.

"Mexico," replied Blair quietly, trying not to flinch, rethinking her decision to tell the brunette.

"Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this? There's a ton of stuff that needs done. So much that needs planned." Casey whipped her head around. "Where are my index cards? We need to make a list."

"Uh, Casey..." Blair put up a warning hand, but her friend was too absorbed by planning to notice.

Casey gasped. "You're right! We need to go shopping. I only have one swimsuit and we'll definitely need at least two." Casey wrote furiously on the pink card. "And shorts, and tops. Oh, and shoes."

"Casey..."

"You're right Blair. We'll need manis and pedis too but we'll have to wait until a few days before we leave for that." Casey clapped her hands together. "Oh this is going to be so much fun!"

"CASEY!"

Startled Casey looked at her green-eyed friend. "What? Am I forgetting something else?"

Blair sighed, hoping Casey wouldn't shoot the messenger. "We're not invited, Case. Rob says it's a Guy's Only Vacation."

Casey blinked in disbelief, her mouth ajar for a few seconds. "Guy's Trip? Guy's? Do you know what that means?" Casey's voice raised an octave with every word as she paced the small room, waving her arms in the air. "Let me tell you what that means. It means they are going to spend a week getting drunk and hooking up with random girls. Is that really how you want your boyfriend spending his Spring Break?"

Blair opened her mouth to speak, but Casey plowed on. "Well... is it?" She stared down the blond, arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping. "I didn't think so." Casey started to pace again. "This has Derek written all over it. You need to tell Rob that either we are going along or he isn't going. You can't let Derek tell you what to do. I'll handle this."

~LwD~

"There is absolutely no way you are going along, Case." Derek stated with finality. They had been arguing for the last fifteen minutes and he was becoming really irritated.

"Look Derek. I don't know why you are arguing about this."

"Me either." He interrupted her. "You aren't going. End of discussion." Derek waved his hands in the air and tried to walk away, even though they were in his dorm room.

"Der-ek! You are such a jerk. You know that Mom and George will never let you go by yourself."

"I already told you, Loser, I'm not going by myself." He sneered.

"Hmpf. As if Sam, Ralph, and Rob are going to be able to keep you in line."

"Ha!" Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "As if you," poke, "could."

She slapped away his hand. "I would."

He smirked. "Would not, Case. You have no control over me whatsoever. Remember? What Derek wants, Derek gets."

"Look Derek, you can wipe that smirk off your face right now. You and I both know that if you want to go on this trip, our parents are going to insist on me going along."

"_Our parents_ have already said I can go." Derek stated triumphantly.

Casey paused as she tried to figure this out. "Do they know _where_ you're going?" She asked shrewdly.

"They know I'm going to hang out with the guys." Derek evaded.

"Ha!" Casey bounced on her toes and pointed a finger in his face. "I'm telling."

Derek slapped away Casey's finger. "Don't you dare even think about it."

"Or what?" She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Casey!" Derek exclaimed in exasperation. "You are not going and that's final."

"But why not?" She pouted, trying a different tactic.

"Uh, I don't know? Maybe because you would nag me the whole time and I wouldn't have any fun?"

Casey was hurt. "Derek that is not true. In fact, I bet we'd barely see each other."

Derek gave her skeptical look. "I doubt that Case."

"Derek," Casey started again, then stopped. "You know what? You're right Derek. I don't want to go with you. Blair and I will make other plans and you guys can go and have your fun."

"That's right," Derek nodded, before realizing what had happened. "Wait. Did you just say you are going to stop harassing me about going?"

"Yep."

"Just like that?"

"Yep."

"Why?" Derek's eyes narrowed.

"Why? Because I think this whole Girls Gone Wild thing is going to land you in jail, and I don't want to land in jail with you."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Loosen up Case. It's not really going to be Girls Gone Wild, and weren't definitely not going to end up in jail."

She raised an eyebrow. "We'll see, Derek. Just don't think you're calling me to bail you out."

"Ha! When have I ever needed you to bail me out, Princess. I think it's always the other way around."

"Whatever." Casey turn to Blair who had been silently watching the exchange with Rob. "Let's go Blair. We have some planning to do."

Blair looked at Casey a little uncertainly, knowing the brunette must have a plan. "Bye Rob."

~LwD~

It took Casey a couple of days to come up with a plan, and she was feeling pretty smug when she dialed Sam's phone number.

"Hey Sam, what's up?"

"Uh, hey Case." Sam couldn't help but be a little surprised by the phone call. "Not much. Haven't heard from you in a while. What's happening?"

Casey's tone was casual. "Oh you know, the usual stuff. Studying. Dance team. Planning for Spring Break. How 'bout you?"

Realization hit Sam. "Same old."

"Studying going well?"

Sam smiled, glad this conversation was over the phone. He laid down on his bed and relaxed. This would be an interesting conversation. "Yup. I got an A on my last Sociology paper."

"Good job! How about hockey?"

"Our team's doing well. I played a little in the last game."

"Great! So...um...have you been on any dates lately?

"Took out a cute redhead the other night. We had fun."

"Think you'll call her again?"

"Probably."

"Good for you. So...uh...do you have any Spring Break plans?"

_Finally_, thought Sam. "Yeah, a bunch of my friends are going to Mexico."

"Mexico!" Casey faked surprise. "That sounds fun. Where will you be staying?"

Purposely vague, Sam answered, "At a resort."

Casey didn't quite pull off the naivete she was trying to convey. "There are so many. I bet it was hard to pick one. Did you make your arrangements yet?"

Sam barely stopped himself from chuckling. "Yup, already made."

Sam could hear the frustration in Casey's voice. "So which one did you choose?"

"The nicest one."

"Sam!" Casey exclaimed unable to beat around the bush any longer.

"Casey, I'm not telling you where we're staying. Derek has already threatened bodily harm to anyone who tells you."

"C'mon Sam," she pleaded.

"No way, Case. I'm not telling you a thing." Sam shook his head even though she couldn't see him.

Casey sighed. "Fine. But I'm not giving up yet."

"You wouldn't be you if you did." He said affectionately. "Good-bye Casey. Have a good day."

"You too Sam. Bye."

_Now what am I going to do,_ she thought. She slumped and tapped her fingers on the desk, looking at her computer. She watched as her screen saver flipped through pictures of family and friends. Suddenly, she sat up as she looked at a picture of her, Derek, Sam, and Ralph taken when they performed as D-Rock. _Ralph_. Casey picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

…...TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_Now what am I going to do,_ she thought. She slumped and tapped her fingers on the desk, looking at her computer. She watched as her screen saver flipped through pictures of family and friends. Suddenly, she sat up as she looked at a picture of her, Derek, Sam, and Ralph taken when they performed as D-Rock. _Ralph_. Casey picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

~LwD~

The morning of their flight, Rob's alarm sounded at 5 am. Derek stretched and smiled, despite the hour, thinking about scantily clad girls. Check that. Hot, drunk, scantily clad girls.

Rob and Derek met Sam and Ralph at the airport. After they checked in, the guys dragged their half-asleep bodies over to the waiting area, while Derek purchased some coffee.

"Casey?" asked Ralph.

The brunette turned and said with a big smile, "Ralph! Hello." She gave him a hug. "It's so good to see you."

"You too Case." Ralph said with a smile.

Before Casey could reply, Sam came over. "Casey," he said in a warning tone. "What are you doing here?"

Casey squared her shoulders. "Nice to see you too Sam. We," she said gesturing to Blair and Emily, "are going on a Spring Break vacation. What about you?" She asked sweetly.

"You know what we are doing here, and I don't think that..."

"What the hell, Casey!"

"Hi Derek." Casey said as chipper as possible, knowing Derek hated mornings.

"What the hell are you doing here." He growled.

"We," again she gestured, "are going on vacation."

"Like hell you are. I told you, you weren't invited."

"And I told you that we girls would be making our own plans."

"You conniving, little..."

"D," interrupted Sam, touching his friend's arm, "let it go. The girls will do their own things and we can do ours. It's not like we're rooming with them."

Derek and Casey continued to stare each other down. Finally Derek spoke, "Fine. Just stay out of my way."

"Fine. You stay out of my way."

"My pleasure." Derek sneered.

Fortunately for their friends, the flight was called then, ending the verbal sparing, at least for the moment. No one was fooled into the thinking the two step-siblings could really stay away from each other.

About half an hour outside of Chicago, their connection, the pilot's voice came over the loud speaker. "Chicago is experiencing a snow storm and we will need to delay landing for a bit. Please just sit back and relax while we wait out this storm."

Derek stiffened in his seat between Sam and Ralph. He knew that at the word 'relax' Casey would start to panic. She didn't really like enclosed spaces or unplanned situations. He barely stopped himself from turning around to check on her. His two friends noticed the change in his posture.

"You okay D?" asked Sam with concern on his face as he leaned forward to look at Derek.

"You're not going to puke are you buddy?" half-joked Ralph as he tried to scoot away from Derek without being too obvious.

"I'm fine," Derek's voice was tight and he knew he wasn't fooling his friends but they knew when to back off.

A few seats away, Emily was trying to calm down a hyperventilating Casey who was deep breathing and rocking in her seat. "Casey, Casey, you need to calm down. The pilot knows what he's doing. We have a layover anyway. It doesn't matter if the plane doesn't land on time."

Despite Emily's reassurance, pictures flashed through Casey's mind of the plane crashing and everyone screaming. She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands almost drawing blood. Through her fog she heard a deep male voice say, "Move Em." Then a strong arm draped over her shoulders, causing her body to still and a big capable hand was prying her fist apart. As she breathed in his scent, her heart slowly stopped fluttering.

Turning to the male beside her, she hissed, "What do you want Derek?"

He shrugged. "Ralph farted."

Casey shrunk away from him, repulsed. "Eww."

He smirked at her reaction. He could tell she was forgetting her anxiety already. "Besides, you have a window seat."

Casey sat up proudly, and said smugly, "That's due to my superior planning skills."

"Over achiever." Derek coughed into his hand.

She rounded on him. "Look, if you came over here just to insult me, then you can leave."

"Okay," He said casually, and started to stand up. He saw the panic in Casey's eyes.

"Uh, uh, you, you shouldn't be walking around when the fasten seat belt sign is on." She floundered.

Derek smirked and settled back into the seat. "Whatever you say Princess."

After a minute or so he saw her tense again when the plane encountered more turbulence. "So, uh, Case. I saw you go to the bathroom," he wiggled his eyebrows, "a little while ago. Did you join the mile high club?"

Casey looked at him confused. "Mile high club? You mean frequent flyer points, Derek?"

He laughed, which confused her even more.

Blair, who was sitting in front of them with Rob, turned around. "Derek. Stop teasing Casey."

"Teasing?" Echoed the still confused Casey.

Derek leaned forward with a look of evil on his face. "What's wrong Blair? Jealous 'cause Rob initiated her and not you?"

Rob sighed to himself. He really didn't want to be in the middle of a Derek and Casey moment. "Derek," he said warningly as he turned around.

Casey's eyes flipped between the two boys. "What are you guys talking about? What's the mile high club? Is Rob in it?"

Blair's eyes widened. She faced Rob, and said through gritted teeth, "He better not be in it."

Derek chuckled as Rob faced Blair and held up his hands in surrender, "Why am I in trouble? Derek started it."

Derek gave him his best serious face. "Oh, very mature Robby."

Rob growled at him and turned around in his seat, turning Blair with him.

Casey looked at Derek. "I still don't understand what's going on."

He smirked. "I'll tell you when you're older."

"Der-ek!"

"We are going to start our descent now." The pilot's voice burst through the intercom. "It may be bumpy but we have a clear shot."

The rest of the flight and subsequent shuttle ride to the hotel was uneventful, except for a little shuffle between Derek and Casey over shuttle seats. Casey was last to check out of customs, she had the most luggage, and so when she boarded the shuttle, the only open seat was next to Derek. He allowed her to sit without argument, then proceeded to push her onto the floor once the shuttle started moving. The shuttle driver shouted at them in Spanish, but since Derek had barely passed language class in school, he had no idea what the irate driver was saying.

Casey sat back down on the seat, elbowing Derek, to make enough room. This time she was prepared for Derek's shove and braced her self against the seat opposite occupied by Ralph and Sam. The brawling continued for the whole 15 minute ride.

At one point, Rob leaned forward to speak in Sam's ear. "Have they always been like this?"

Sam sighed in exasperation, "Pretty much."

~LwD~

Their friends thought once they deboarded the shuttle that the altercation would end, but instead it was renewed as the two fought to be the first at the check-in counter, elbows and feet flying. Displeasure colored the concierge's face as he observed the two teenagers shoving each other and arguing. "We have two check-in counters. We can serve you both at the same time." He sneered.

This irked rather than relieved the tension between the two, since no clear winner had been determined. After a moment of intense glaring, Casey stepped aside to the clerk on the left, leaving Derek smiling smugly at his victory.

After checking in the guys headed to their condo, which was only two doors down from the girls. Within five minutes, everyone was back outside arguing. Derek had booked a two bedroom condo for the four boys; however, upon inspection the boys found the two bedrooms had 2 queen-sized beds and 1 king-sized bed. Casey had booked a one bedroom condo, that advertised sleeping for four; however, the bedroom had two double beds, hardly enough room for the girls even if two slept in the same bed. After several minutes of discussion, the group returned to the front desk to discuss other arrangements.

"I'm sorry but there are no other rooms available. You should have checked the bed arrangements when you booked." The young clerk said arrogantly to the squabbling teenagers.

"Now look here, you," Casey leaned over the counter and pointed a finger at the young man, "This is my vacation, and I'm going to enjoy it. So you better find us other arrangements immediately. My father is a lawyer and he can sue you for false advertising."

Derek, liking the response it evoked on the clerk's face, added, "My father's an attorney, too."

At the word attorney, the manager stepped away from his small desk behind the counter and came over. "What's the problem, sir?"

Casey's eyes widened as the man addressed Derek rather than her. "Excuse me? Did you just address him first because he's a man? Are you being sexist? Does this hotel discriminate? Do I need to tell my father, the lawyer, that too?" Casey's voice became louder with each question.

"Oh course not ma'am." Replied the manager through gritted teeth. "What is your concern?"

"Wait a minute," Derek interrupted, "You're going to address her first, just because she whined like a baby?"

"I am not a baby!"

The manager held up his hands. "Ma'am! Sir! Please if you could just stop arguing perhaps we can find a solution to both of your problems." He turned to the clerk. "What are they requesting?"

"Different room arrangements."

"What's the complication with the current arrangements?"

"Not enough beds." Derek answered. "We aren't sleeping two guys in one bed."

"I see." He turned to Casey. "Is that the same concern you have?"

"Yes." Casey answered primly.

"Let me check our availability. You either need an upgraded room with beds for everyone or additional rooms." The manager clicked away for several minutes before looking up. "Well, I do have an additional condo available, but only the one."

Sam knew Derek and Casey would begin fighting again, and didn't think he, nor anyone else, could stand any more bickering. "We'll take it, and figure out the sleeping arrangements ourselves." He said to the clerk as he moved the step-siblings aside.

Derek and Casey growled under their breath, but kept quiet.

Everyone walked out of the lobby, back toward the rooms. Suddenly Derek ripped the key out of Sam's hand and took off running. Casey, quickly realizing his intent, took off after him, leaving their friends none too surprised at their actions.

Derek barely had the key in the door before Casey caught up with him.

"It's mine Derek." She shoved him away from the door, the key card still in the lock.

"You're crazy." Derek pushed her. "You wouldn't even be here if I hadn't had the idea first. This condo is mine!"

"Girls need more space." Casey argued.

Derek looked around. "I would agree if I saw a girl around here. All I see is a space-case."

"Der-ek!"

"Would you two stop!" Yelled Sam. "I am not spending this whole week trying to referee your fights. We need to go in and look at the condo before deciding who is sleeping there."

The step-siblings glared at each other, but moved aside for Sam to unlock the door.

It was a beautiful one bedroom condo with several amenities the other rooms didn't only solution seemed to be co-ed sleeping arrangements and no one seemed comfortable with that idea. Surprisingly, Rob and Blair had balked at sharing a room. After more debate, Sam gave Derek a hard look before saying, "Derek and Casey can share a room. They're used to living together."

_Damn_, Derek thought. He had already come to the same conclusion, but didn't want to voice it. He was expecting Casey to explode; however, she stood there dumbfounded, giving their 'friends' time to rush away to their own rooms. Apparently this sleeping arrangement hadn't occurred to her.

"Let's go get our stuff."

~LwD~

As Derek surveyed the room more closely, he groaned inwardly. He was really starting to regret his great idea for spring break. The room was great - if he were here with a girlfriend. Bright sunshine streamed through the all glass French doors that lead onto the private patio that appeared to have a sunken hot tub. A white satin covered king sized bed was the focal point of the pristine room that featured two end tables, a dresser, and a desk with chair in dark African mahogany. A large plasma screen television was secured to the wall opposite the bed, and on the other walls hung beautiful ocean prints and candle sconces. He opened the door to the bathroom and saw a room just slightly smaller than the one he was standing in. White double sinks with gleaming hardware were against one wall and the brown tiled walk-in shower was opposite. In the corner was a Jacuzzi for two, and another door that probably lead to the toilet. Derek let out a low whistle before turning back to Casey who was shaking her head and pacing while she wrung her hands and muttered to herself.

"I am going back downstairs and demanding the manager find us another room immediately." Derek could practically see the steam rolling off of her.

"Look, Case," his tone diplomatic and his hand upturned in a pleading gesture, "This is a great room, and we won't be spending much time in it. Let's just make the best of this." Derek was really tired and was eyeing the bed with yearning.

Casey could see Derek was tired and truthfully she was too. In an unusual act of quick concession, she said, "Well, we can't both sleep on the bed."

Relieved that no more fighting would take place, Derek sat on the bed and promptly fell over, his head hitting the soft white pillows. "It's a big bed Casey. Surely we can stay on our own sides without drawing blood." He mumbled at the end as he pulled his legs up off the floor and tucked them on the bed.

She sighed, and seeing how comfortable Derek was, she crossed the room and surrendered to jet lag as she laid down on the other side of the soft white bed. Casey purred as her weary body relaxed, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

She sighed, and seeing how comfortable Derek was, she crossed the room and surrendered to jet lag as she laid down on the other side of the soft white bed. Casey purred as her weary body relaxed, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

~LwD~

An hour or two later, Casey had her back turned to her new roommate as she unpacked. "Look Derek, I know earlier we both fell asleep in the bed, but we will _not_ be sharing that bed tonight. You'll just have to sleep on the recliner. It looks very comfortable."

"Excuse me, Princess. I don't know what reality you're living in but..."

Casey turned toward Derek and put up a hand to stop him from speaking. "Stop. We are not on Planet Derek Gets What He Wants here. I'm the woman. I'm taking the bed. If you don't like it..."

"Damn right I don't like it. You don't want to share a bed with me? Fine. You sleep on the _comfortable_ recliner." He sneered.

Casey threw up her hands in exasperation. "You fall asleep on classroom desks. You can sleep anywhere."

"Once Casey." He held up his index finger. "Once, I fell asleep. And I had a late hockey practice the night before." But he was talking to her back as she had resumed folding and putting away her clothes.

Derek watched her silent form for a few more moments then grunted and left the room, banging the door behind him.

~LwD~

Derek met the guys in the bar downstairs and they hung out there until Rob's cell chirped alerting him to a message. **Supper now, every1.**

"Let's eat guys." Rob said standing and motioning.

Derek hesitated. He knew this was probably planned by Casey. In fact, he was pretty sure that Casey had planned out the entire vacation for both the girls and the guys, even if she hadn't been invited. He even bet that she had color-coded schedules to hand out.

"I am not spending my vacation with those girls." Derek finally said stubbornly as he remained on the bar stool. "How did she even find out where we were staying?"

Sam had a pretty good idea of how Casey found out, but was keeping his mouth shut.

"I told her." Volunteered Ralph, unaware of the consequences.

"What!" Derek growled in his direction, shooting his ex-friend a death glare.

"D," Sam intervened, not liking conflict, "I know that you planned for this to be a Guy's Only trip, but it's not so bad that the girls came."

"Traitor!"

"Der," Sam said in an exasperated voice. Then he switched tactics. "You're right Derek, you should say here. The fights between you and Casey are exhausting, and we're here to have fun."

"How can you have fun without the Life of the Party, Sam?"

"Right now, you're not acting like the Life of the Party, D. Casey is."

Derek scowled at his long-time friend. "Let's go." And he strode out of the room leaving the rest of the guys in his wake. Rob was impressed with Sam's control-Derek tactics and planned to ask him tonight the secret to his success.

The guys took their seats and Derek picked the seat farthest from Casey on the same side of the table so she couldn't see him. Rob raised his eyebrow at Derek as he watched him carefully pick his seat but remained silent.

The waiter came then, took drink orders, and the group buried themselves in the menus. It was over dessert that Casey made her announcement. She clinked her glass with a spoon as she called everyone to attention. "I have an announcement." She said, the imperial tone not lost on her friends.

From the end of the table came a sing-songy voice, "Announcements, Announcements, Announcements. A terrible death to die. A terrible death to die. A terrible death to be talked to death. A terrible death to die."

"Der-ek!" screeched Casey as she stood. Blair put a restraining hand on her friend's arm, but she wasn't really worried about Casey going after Derek. Although, letting them room together might still prove fatal - to their vacation that is.

"Carry on, Princess. Give out the schedules." Derek said casually and waved his hand for her to continue.

"I do not have schedules." Casey spat in Derek's direction, then looked around at the group sheepishly, "these are just…suggested activities to help you get the most out of this week." She began passing out color-coded schedules labeled with each group member's name.

Derek stifled a laugh, but Emily let out a groan. "Casey, we're on vacation, you aren't supposed to have a schedule. That's the whole point of vacation. To break the routine."

"I know," Casey huffed, "what a vacation is for. I just thought that if everyone was aware of the activities available they could plan their fun accordingly."

Derek just had to comment, "You're the only one who needs to _plan_ for fun, keener."

Casey continued to huff indignantly, but now she was looking a little embarrassed. Blair noticed, spoke up, and shot Derek a glare, "You know guys? This was a really good idea. I didn't know they had zip lining, jet skiing, or para-sailing. Thanks Casey for being so organized." Casey brightened.

~LwD~

After supper, the group separated to refresh before the party started on the patio. Everyone was looking forward to their first spring break party and took extra time primping. The guys made it downstairs first and Derek, Sam, and Ralph stood in the corner scoping out the room. Rob had gone to the girls' room to wait for Blair.

"Bet you can't get the next girl that walks through that door to kiss you," challenged Sam.

Derek raised his eyebrow and smirked. "Bet taken." He said confidently.

They didn't need to wait long as a few sounds later a gorgeous brunette breezed into the room wearing a short black skirt and short pink halter top. Her blue eyes scanned the room, coming to rest on his. She smirked and head held high sashayed toward him.

Sam and Ralph were making "Oh ho" noises and laughing beside him as she approached. He knew he would have just one chance at this if he was going to win that bet.

"Derek." But that's all she got out before he grabbed her waist and pressed his mouth against hers. Her hands pressed against his chest, trying to push him away, but his hockey muscles were stronger than her book carrying ones. After several seconds he felt the fight leave her body as she relaxed into him and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. Her lips and body were soft and warm against his, and he started to lose himself in her vanilla scent.

She abruptly ended the kiss, pulled back, and slapped him hard across the face, momentarily stunning him.

"What the hell Derek?" She exclaimed in outrage, but he could see conflict and questions in her eyes.

He sneered. "Don't flatter yourself. It was just a bet, Princess." He let go of her waist as he reached out to collect his money from Sam.

She stumbled back and Ralph reached out a hand to steady her, shooting Derek a hard disapproving look.

Derek chose to ignore Ralph and laughed loudly at Casey's clumsiness. "Klutzilla," he coughed into his hand.

"I hate you Derek Venturi. Don't ever talk to me again!" She spat at him, wrenching away from Ralph.

"You mean it?" Derek asked hopefully.

"Jerk!" Casey hissed as she turned and left the room.

~LwD~

The next morning, the alarm rang at 6:30am causing Derek to pull the pillow over his head and groan. Casey turned off the alarm and bounded out of bed. She was going to the 7:00am yoga class offered by the resort, fully expecting the rest of the group to go to, but knowing at least one member would not be attending since he had stumbled in well after 2:00am last night guaranteeing that he would spend the first half of the day in bed.

Casey gathered the yoga clothes she had laid out the night before, walked into the bathroom to get ready, and thought about last night. After the...encounter...with Derek, she had joined Emily, Blair, and Rob outside by the pool where the live band was playing. She had enjoyed dancing, enjoyed checking out the other guests - of the washboard abs, tanned male variety, and enjoyed the glances those sexy males were giving her. No guys had approached her that night, but then again she was a little discombobulated from earlier events and generally nervous that first night and it probably showed. She intended to be more bold today.

Casey frowned as her thoughts turned to Derek's behavior last night. _He_ had had no problem being bold. Not when he had k-k-k... She couldn't finish the thought. The encounter hadn't affected him at all apparently because she had watched him approach group after group of blond (obviously from a bottle) giggly (dumb), bikini-clad (promiscuous) girls, with Sam and Ralph as his wing-men, just like in high school. She made a disgusted grunt and tightened her pony tail. She had returned to the room around midnight, but Derek had stayed, dancing (if you could call it that) with those girls (if she was trying to be kind.) She walked out of the bathroom, picked up her wallet, and glided out of the room.

She was surprised as she made her way down to the beach, the sand gritting between her sandals and feet, that there were only two other people gathered for the class, and neither was someone she knew. The other two were both male, dressed in matching pink zebra stripes. Not a wardrobe choice she would have made, but to each their own. Casey's eyes moved to the instructor as he straightened causing her breath to hitch as she drank in the god in a blue speedo. The over six foot tall, blond shaggy haired, crystal blue eyed, tanned, muscles-rippling Adonis made her face heat up as her eyes absorbed every ounce of hotness that radiated from him. His eyes flicked to hers and her mouth dropped as he ran his eyes appraisingly over her body. Casey gulped. She had never been so blatantly checked out before. Her tongue licked her dry lips and suddenly she was very glad that no one else in their group had showed up for class.

"I'm Chad," the guy of her smutty fantasies said as he extended his large hand to shake hers. "You must be Casey." His voice pure silky sex.

Casey nodded dumbly unable to speak without squeaking.

Chad smirked at Casey's blank look, ran his eyes over her body one more time, and moved to his yoga mat. "Let's start with deep breathing."

Casey closed her eyes and concentrated on centering her body, while Chad focused on Casey's curves and formed a plan to get her out of those yoga pants and sports bra.

~LwD~

Derek woke to light streaming through the French patio doors, groaned, and pulled a pillow over his face. It smelled like vanilla, and his first thought was _shit, what did I do?_ He opened his eyes cautiously, fully expecting to find some strange girl in his bed, and despite what some people thought, that was not a usual occurrence for him. The bed was empty. His eyes roamed as he registered it was his own room. He sighed with relief, inhaling again the intoxicating vanilla scent from the pillow. Casey. It was definitely Casey's scent. Well at least that meant he hadn't actually slept with one of those girls last night. Thank God. Suddenly his stomach lurched, barely making it to the bathroom before puking, he vowed to the white porcelain god in front of him never to drink that much again.

~LwD~

Casey joined her friends in the dining room for lunch. Upon seeing Derek, she was again reminded of his libertine behavior from the night before. He obvious had no respect for those girls or for himself and she started to harass him about it.

Derek was irritated. "C'mon, lighten up, Spacey. You're 18 going on 50. Haven't you ever wanted to live a little...dangerously?" He said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Casey's dubious look told him that apparently she did not. He sighed and continued, "Those girls weren't looking for a relationship, Case. They're here to get drunk and hook up. If you don't like it then you shouldn't have come."

Casey raised her chin. "So you think it's okay if I get drunk and have meaningless sex with total strangers?" She challenged.

No, he did not think that was alright, but smirked and shrugged causally. "I don't care what you do, just as long as you leave me alone so I can have fun."

Casey growled under her breath. "Okay fine. Don't cramp my style either Derek Venturi." She tossed her brunette locks, wavy from the heat.

Derek snorted. "What style, Princess? You couldn't loosen up if you were paid." He sneered, crossing his arms across his chest.

Casey squared her shoulders. "Oh yeah, Derek? Let me just show you how loose I can be."

"Go ahead and try." He gestured, shaking his head at her ridiculousness.

Casey glared at him, and then left the dining room without eating.

~LwD~

After lunch the teenagers sat around the table discussing afternoon plans. Everyone but Derek had pulled out the schedules Casey had handed out the evening before. "You're not seriously going to follow that are you?"

Blair shot Derek an indignant look. "Why not? There are a lot of fun activities on here."

Derek groaned. "Look, I know she's your friend, but she's not even here right now." He plucked the schedule out of her hand. "So let's ditch the lame schedules and just have fun."

"Derek," Emily reprimanded. "Casey worked really hard on this." Blair nodded, it was her dorm room after all that Casey had crowded with an easel. "I think we need to at least give it a shot."

He shook his head. "See this is why I didn't want girls on my vacation."

Sam could see this argument going in circles for at least the next twenty minutes. "C'mon, D. Let's stop arguing about this. I want to go down to the beach. I saw some volleyball courts there."

Ralph started to speak, "That's," he said looking at the piece of paper in his hand. Sam's glare shut him up.

"That sounds like a great idea," finished Rob.

Happy, Derek looked around the table. "See. I told you we didn't need those stupid schedules."

~LwD~

The guys and girls headed toward the sand after collecting their beach bags. Derek had worn his swimming trunks to lunch and so avoided going back to his room and seeing Casey. On the sand, Emily and Blair laid out their blankets and slathered on sunscreen before stretching out under the hot sun. The boys headed to the nearby beach volleyball court and began hitting the ball back and forth.

Soon a group of bikini-clad girls strutted past the boys, stopping to admire their volleyball skills. Blair watched the flirting in disgust, trying to control her jealously; however, when a brunette started feeling Rob's muscle, she had had enough. Popping up she walked over to her boyfriend.

"Hi," she said politely to the girl.

The brunette gave her a dirty look. "Hello."

"I see you've met my boyfriend Rob." Blair said, nodding to the dark-haired boy, and wrapping her hand around his bicep.

The girl's eyebrows raised, and her eyes ran up and down Blair's body, analyzing.

Rob shifted uncomfortably between the two girls. He had never had two girls fight over him before and he didn't quite know how to end the situation amicably.

Apparently, the brunette decided Rob wasn't worth the hassle, or maybe that Blair would put up too much of a fight, because she said, "Have a good day, Rob," and nodded to Blair before moving away.

Both Blair and Rob let out a breath of relief, and then looked at each other and laughed.

"I'm really glad you came along," Rob said to Blair.

"Me too," she agreed, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"UUGGHHH," Derek said interrupting their moment. "Too much mush. Let's go surfing. I see the rental building over there." And he pushed Rob in the back, giving Blair a wink to let her know he was just teasing them.

As the guys wondered off, Emily saw Casey coming. She waved so Casey could find them.

"Hey ladies," Casey said setting down her beach bag and laying out her towel.

The girls chatted about the resort, the party on the patio the night before, and plans for the rest of the week. They carefully avoided the incident between Casey and Derek at lunch earlier.

A little while later, Emily notice a blond man who seemed to be walking toward them. She nudged Casey and tilted her head in his direction. Casey looked up and saw Chad, the yoga instructor, approaching. She felt her stomach flutter.

"Hey, Case. Enjoying the sun?" He asked in that sexy silky voice of his. He sat at the end of her blanket.

Casey felt nervous suddenly. "Yeah, it's a beautiful day."

"A little more beautiful now that you're here." He oozed charmed, and Casey blushed.

"Thanks."

"Will I see you tonight on the patio? My favorite band is playing. Maybe you'll save me a dance." He stated rather than asked.

"Okay," she giggled.

"I'll be seeing ya then," he said standing up and sauntering away.

Emily waited approximately thirty seconds before she screamed. "Oh my God, Casey. Who was that?"

"Chad." Casey answered quietly.

"Details Casey. I want details. He is hot!"

Casey laughed and told them all about yoga.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily waited approximately thirty seconds before she screamed. "Oh my God, Casey. Who was that?"

"Chad." Casey answered quietly.

"Details Casey. I want details. He is hot!"

Casey laughed and told them all about yoga.

~LwD~

That evening after supper, Casey asked Sam and Ralph to join her in the condo Blair and Emily were sharing.

"Case, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Sam for the third time with a worried look on his face.

"Of course it is, Sam. You heard what he said to me. I have to show him that I know how to have fun." She replied matter of factly.

"You don't have to show him anything. Just be yourself. This is your Spring Break too." Sam tried to reason with her.

"You're not going to talk me out of this Sam." She said stubbornly.

"Okay Case," cut in Ralph. "I've got three shots here. If you take all three now, you should have a good buzz by the time you go downstairs."

She turned toward the dresser where the glasses sat and took a deep breath. "Right."

"Casey," Sam pleaded to deaf ears.

"Sam, stop. The only way I'm going to be able to do this is if I'm, um, tipsy, before going down. I want Derek to see that I can have fun with just the one drink he'll see me with."

The boys exchanged looks, but Casey ignored them.

"You better drink those shots while we're still here. Just in case." Sam said.

"Just in case - what?" Casey glared at him.

"Just in case you hit the floor." Chimed in Ralph.

"I am not going to pass out." She said with indignation.

The boys exchanged looks again.

Casey sighed and went over to the dresser taking another deep breath and squaring her shoulders before throwing back the first shot in a large gulp. She grabbed her neck and doubled over as the drink burned down her throat. Sam put his arm around her, but she soon recovered and pushed him away.

"I can do this." She croaked out, picking up the next two shot glasses and gulping them in quick succession.

Ralph looked at her proudly, "My kinda woman."

Sam looked disappointed.

"Okay guys, I'm fine. See?" She held out her arms, eyes watery. "Thanks for the help, now get out while I change." She said shooing them away. "I'll be down soon."

~LwD~

With a strawberry margarita in one hand, Casey dragged Blair and Emily out onto the dance floor, already her inhibitions easing. She started to sway to the music and then closed her eyes as she allowed the rhythm to wash over her. She felt loose, relaxed, and confident.

She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her stomach. She turned her head to see Chad behind her. He smiled and she smiled in return. Her smile his invitation to dance a little closer. She felt his body against hers and had to stifle the automatic reaction to pull away because, she reminded herself, she was there to have fun. She relaxed into him and took another drink of her margarita.

A couple hours later, a worried Blair found Sam and Ralph. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Casey's out of control over there." She gestured to a small crowd of guys over by the fountain. "She's had three margaritas. I've never seen her this drunk, and that stupid Chad has gone off with another girl."

Sam and Ralph exchanged a look. _Chad?_ More importantly at the moment was the fact that Casey had three margaritas _and_ three shots. Looking at Ralph, Sam said, "Let's split up."

Ralph nodded compliantly.

Sam turned and walked away, leaving Ralph with Blair. Ralph scratched his head, "Do you know why we're splitting up?"

She rolled her eyes, "To find Derek."

"Oh, yeah, I knew that."

Blair expected him to leave, but he remained stuck in place. "What it is Ralph?"

"Why am I looking for Derek again?"

She groaned in frustration, grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him over the fountain where Casey was dancing sandwiched between two guys.

"Whoa, Casey." He said in awe.

"That's right Ralph." She said pointing the the brunette. "Casey. You need to find Derek so he can stop Casey."

He gave her a dubious look. "Are you sure Casey _wants_ to stop? It looks like she's having fun to me."

"Ralph!" She exclaimed, giving him a shove. "Just find Derek."

"Okay, okay." He said holding up this hands. "You don't have to yell at me." He turned away from Blair muttering to himself. "Find Derek. Find Derek."

Several minutes later he spotted his friend by the pool. "Dude, I think there is something you need to see over there." Ralph interrupted Derek, tapping him on the shoulder, and pointing to the other side of the room.

"Uh, I'm a little busy here Ralph." Derek replied, gesturing to the beautiful strawberry-blond he was dancing with.

Ralph looked across the room. "I really think you oughta take a look, D."

Derek rolled his eyes and kept dancing. A second later he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Ralphie, I already told you. I'm busy." He said without turning around.

"D."

"Oh hey Sammy-boy. Having fun?"

"It just became a little more interesting, actually." Sam replied.

"Oh yeah? You getting lucky tonight?"

Sam shook his head in distaste. "I think there's something you need to see." He said seriously.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Not you too Sam. Can't you see I'm busy."

Sam faced the pretty brown-eyed girl. "Excuse us." He said politely, before grabbing Derek's arm.

"I'll be right back, beautiful." Derek said with a wink as Sam dragged him to the other side of the room.

"This better be worth it, Sam. Did you see how hot that girl was?" Derek warned.

"_She_ is HOT," said a short, brown haired boy to Derek, pointing to the center of the crowd they had joined.

"Who?" He said aloud to himself. He pushed through the guys to see Casey in the middle just as she whipped off her halter to reveal an orange bikini top.

"Casey?" He said in disbelief, but she didn't hear him. Still in shock he watched two tall, broad shouldered guys hoist her onto a table. He stood there, jaw dropped, watching her dance as the guys whistled and started yelling "Take it off."

Derek felt a hard elbow dig into his side as Sam gave him a 'do something' glare. He sighed, as if it was a chore, and climbed up on the table with Casey.

"Hey Der. Having fun? I know I am." She slurred.

Derek was disgusted by her drunkenness and exhibition. "Let's go Princess. I think you've had enough fun for tonight." He said as he tried to pull her off the table.

"Der-ek! I am having _fun_. You told me to 'let loose.'" She shimmied. "So here I am." She turned away.

The two broad-shouldered guys reappeared then. "Is this guy giving you a problem, honey?" Asked the bigger of the two.

Before Casey could reply, Sam stepped in. "Hey man. This is her brother. He's just protecting her."

The broad-shouldered boy looked at Casey. "This really your brother?"

"Step," she scowled as she nodded and tripped falling in Derek.

He caught her and lowered her to the table before jumping down himself and looking at Sam. "She's all yours buddy." He clapped Sam on the back. "I'm here to have fun, not babysit a keener who can't hold her liqueur." Derek started to turn away, then looked back. "Next time, don't start her with three shots before she even comes down."

"Derek," Sam growled, picking up a now green-looking Casey bridal-style, and headed to her room.

~LwD~

Derek walked into the condo his friends were sharing, just as Rob and Ralph were walking out to walk the girls to brunch. Sam walked out of the bedroom to see Derek lounging against the kitchen counter.

"So Sam. I never saw you come back down to the party last night. What happened?"

He glared at his best friend. "You know what happened, D. I had to take Casey back to _your_ room and sit with her to make sure she was okay."

Derek shuddered. "Eww. Glad that wasn't me."

He couldn't believe Derek's brass, and pointed a finger at the boy's chest, "It _should_ have been you Derek. _You're_ the brother."

Derek's brow creased, as he looked away from him. "Step," he muttered. Then he looked up, defiant. "And I'm not her keeper."

He was exasperated. "But she wouldn't have behaved like that if she didn't feel like she had something to prove to you."

Derek held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't force her to get drunk."

He glared at Derek with reproach.

"Okay, look." Derek said, trying to cajole his friend. "So maybe she took my dare a little too seriously. That's not my fault."

He continued to look disapproving.

Derek sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "Okay, okay. So what if we plan another way for her to be 'dangerous'?"

"I'm listening," replied Sam with an apprehensive look on his face.

"I mean like," he picked up one of Casey's schedules from the counter, "let's go...zip-lining. That will should give her a big enough thrill and stop her from feeling the need to get drunk and do something stupid."

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That's actually not a bad plan, D."

Derek smirked and pushed off the counter. "Okay now let's get something to eat."

"Okay, man."

Derek stopped walking abruptly, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Ah, don't say anything about this being _my_ idea, alright?"

"Okay," replied Sam, a little confused.

"I don't really _do_ caring." Derek explained.

Realization spread over Sam's face. "Oh, right man."

"Now let's _go_," said Derek as he pushed Sam out of the door.

~LwD~

Casey awoke to an empty room, and began to stretch luxuriously in the large bed, until a wave of nausea hit her, and she had to roll over to grasp for a trash can. After a minute or so, she rolled back on the bed and grabbed her phone from the beside table. **1:00pm** the display read, causing her to groan. She had never slept this late before. What had she been thinking the night before? She looked at the phone display again and noticed she had a text from Blair. **Meet us for zip-lining at 2**. She closed her eyes and willed her stomach to stop rolling. Did she really want to go zip-lining? It _was_ on the schedule. _Okay_, she resolved, _I'm going to take a shower, find some crackers, and join my friends._

She met the rest of the group in the lobby waiting to be transported by shuttle to the adventure park. She must have still looked a little green around the gills because Emily and Blair fussed over her. She was pleased to notice everyone was present for the scheduled activity – including Derek, whom she was too sick to fight with.

At the adventure park, a guide was assigned to their group, and he explained the zip-lining course, demonstrated the equipment, then herded them out to the first platform. They strapped into the harnesses and then chose who would go first. Casey felt apprehensive and was secretly glad when Ralph volunteered to go first.

Finally it was her turn, and now she felt _really _sick to her stomach, the alcohol from the evening before not helping. The first hop was to a platform about 30 feet away, and a safety net hung below. Casey turned to Derek, the only one from the group left to go. "I don't think I can do this."

"Sure you can Case. You're already harnessed in. Just hold on tight and jump."

Casey turned back to look at the platform, and the rest of their friends who were shouting encouragement. Turning back to Derek, she shook her head. "I can't."

Derek rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me you're scared, Princess."

Looking vulnerable for just a minute, Casey then squared her shoulders. "I am not scared," she pronounced, and grabbed the handle bars and jumped, leaving a smirking Derek behind.

They jumped from platform to platform, each hop a little longer distance. The sun was bright in the sky, and the scenery spectacular. They zipped between lush green tree tops, spotting colorful birds and exotic animals. Casey soon forgot her anxiety as nature enthralled her. Her excitement wasn't lost on Derek, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, hoping she wouldn't feel the need to repeat her performance from last night at tonight's party on the patio.

The guide stopped them after the fifth jump. "Okay, kids. The next jump is the last. We're going to need to hike a little and cross a suspension bridge to the platform. This jump will be 200 feet, your longest distance so far, and will cross a waterfall. There will be no safety net, so those who are faint-hearted shouldn't attempt it. If you want to stop here, just follow this trail marked with blue arrows out to the entrance. The rest of you follow me."

Blair and Emily begged off immediately. Derek turned to Casey, "You chicken like the other girls?"

"Chicken? I'm not chicken. I can do anything you can do...and better." She finished defiantly.

"Well, then c'mon Princess. Show me."

"I will." Casey said stomping ahead to catch up with Sam.

"Derek," Emily said stopping him from catching up with Casey, "You'll watch out for her, right?"

Derek stared at Emily thoughtfully, then walked away.

"Don't forget she's your sister," called Blair loudly after him.

"Step," he muttered to himself as he started to jog to catch up with everyone else.

It took about ten minutes to hike to the platform. The view of the rushing water cascading over the rocks and plunging into the blue pool below was breath-taking, and absolutely worth the trip. Casey couldn't help but snap pictures of the scenery and the boys' jumps. Derek was jumping anchor and it was just the two of them on the platform after Sam's jump.

"You're up," Derek said to Casey.

"Um, how 'bout you go first."

Derek's brow creased. "Why?"

"Um, so, uh, I can take a picture of your jump, like I did for everyone else." She replied with a smile too wide.

Derek looked at her suspiciously. "You can jump first, and I'll take your picture."

"Oh no. I don't want any pictures of me. You go ahead." Casey said waving a dismissive hand, hoping he would fall for her lie.

Derek's eyes narrowed. "I think you're scared again."

"I'm not scared. I just..." Casey faltered under Derek's hard gaze. She dropped her head, "Yeah, I'm scared."

He couldn't believe she had made it this far, just to quit. "I thought you were having fun?"

"I was...I am, but...there's no safety net this time. What if..."

Derek put his hands on her shoulders. "Case," he said, his face serious, "I would never let anything happen to you. You can trust me. Jump."

Casey's mouth opened silently as a side of Derek emerged that she rarely saw. "I can't do this by myself." She whispered.

Derek looked at her for a second before nodding curtly and turned to the guide that was waiting several steps behind them. "Um, John? Could we go together?"

John, the guide, scratched his head. "Well there is a weight limit. Are the two of you under 300 pounds total?"

Derek and Casey looked at each other in amusement. "Yeah," she replied.

"Okay," he said shrugging. "Let's hook you up."

Casey stood in front of Derek and allowed the guide to hook them together before attaching them to the zip-line.

"Ready, Princess?" Derek's breath was warm on her ear.

She couldn't help but grin in excitement. "Ready." She affirmed.

The guide tested the gear one more time. "On the count of three, jump." They nodded. "One, Two, Three."

Simultaneously they jumped and zipped over the waterfall. They both released whoops of joy, and the ride ended much too soon. Back on the other platform, they untangled themselves with the help of their friends. As soon as they were free from the harnesses, Casey turned and threw her arms around Derek. "That was so awesome! Thank you."

Derek let her hang on for a second before prying her off. "Glad you had fun Case." He said with contained amusement. He was too cool to be as dramatic as her.

The tour guide had zipped over by this point and had motioned to them to follow him back to the entrance of the park to meet Emily and Blair and turn in their gear.


	5. Chapter 5

Derek let her hang on for a second before prying her off. "Glad you had fun Case." He said with contained amusement. He was too cool to be as dramatic as her.

The tour guide had zipped over by this point and had motioned to them to follow him back to the entrance of the park to meet Emily and Blair and turn in their gear.

~LwD~

The following day, Casey burst into the dining room, her voice louder than usual."Der-ek!...How _could_ you? Look at me? Do you think this is funny?"

Six pairs of eyes turned in her direction, and the expressions on her friends' faces ranged from shock, amusement, embarrassment, to dread.

"Casey, what are you wearing?" Emily asked gingerly, already cringing inside at the reply she would receive. Really, it wasn't a very good question because it was pretty obvious _what_ she was wearing. It was the _why_ that interested Emily, though she already had a pretty good guess.

"I don't know." She rounded on Derek, ponytail swinging. "What do -you- think I'm wearing Der?"

With a perfectly straight face, he said around a mouthful of pancake, "Looks like a garbage bag to me."

"Why yes," Casey answered, still standing, hands on hips. "It is a garbage bag. Hmmm," she said tapping her cheek, "Now why would I be wearing a garbage bag? Any guesses?" Her eyes looked around the table, daring someone to speak.

"Because it covers more than those bikinis and halter tops you brought?" Derek muttered through a drink of apple juice.

Casey's eyes narrowed. "You replaced all my tops with garbage bags because you thought I was showing too much skin? Who died and made you the responsible one?"

"Somebody has to respect your body."

She gasped. "What about all those girls whose bodies you disrespect?"

"They're not you." He replied in a tight voice.

Casey crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Suddenly you think you're going to play brother?"

Derek stood and threw his napkin on the table. "See this is why I didn't want you to come. I'm not here to fight, Casey."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you pranked me." She yelled at his retreating figure. She was silent a moment, watching him leave, before she sat down with a huge sigh. "Can you believe him?" She asked no one in particular.

Her friends exchanged glances, but stayed silent. If Casey noticed, she didn't say anything. "So, what's on the buffet today?" She asked brightly, as if the fight with Derek hadn't just occurred.

Emily sighed and wondered if her friends would ever find a balance. "Eggs, pancakes, fruit, yogurt, just about anything you could want."

"Great. I'll be right back." She bounced up from the table and headed toward the overflowing buffet.

"Have they always been like that?" Rob asked in a hushed tone.

Sam and Emily looked at each other and replied in unison, "Pretty much."

~LwD~

She sulked alone on the beach most of the day after confronting Derek (she found her clothes stuffed under the seat of the recliner.) So when she entered the patio that night, she was surprised to find herself swarmed by guys, her popularity a result of her previous table gyrations. The attention, and a margarita, made her bold. "Hey boys." She greeted them coyly. "Are we going to have fun tonight?"

Casey danced with several people before Chad showed up and claimed her attention. They had been dancing about half and hour before the music dimmed and one of the resort event coordinators made an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, so glad you could come out tonight. Right now we are going to start the Hottest Body Shot Contest. The object of this contest is to show us the sexiest body shot you can. Alright teams, turn us on."

Chad turned to Casey, his blue eyes sparkling. "C'mon Casey. Let's join the contest."

Casey looked at him nervously, shifting from foot to foot. "I don't know Chad. I've never done a body shot before."

"Then now's the time to try." He replied trying to propel her forward.

"I'm just not sure it's a good idea." Apprehension was written all over her face, but either Chad couldn't read it or didn't care.

He stopped and faced her. "C'mon Case, loosen up. I thought you were here to have a good time."

The accusation that she was a buzzkill hurt her feelings. "I-I am." She paused, then continued, "Alright I'll give it a try. You start, though."

"No problem," he replied confidently and pulled her forward to line up with the other contestants.

"All contestants," boomed the event coordinator's voice, "line up behind the table. First shot – From the wrist.

Chad lead Casey over to the contestant table. He took hold of her hand, turned over her wrist, and licked it before sprinkling the salt. Casey giggled and took the wedge of lime he offered and put it in her mouth. Chad threw back the shot of tequila, licked her wrist, and took the lime from her mouth.

"See? Nothing to it." He said. "Okay, now it's your turn."

"Me?" She squeaked.

Chad smiled a little and shook his head. He held out his wrist and hesitantly she licked it. The tequila burned as it slide down her throat and made her eyes water.

The event coordinator took the mike again. "Alright folks. That was an easy one. Everyone still in?" A team of two short blonde girls shook their heads and left the table.

Chad looked at Casey, "Are we still in?"

Casey shook her head affirmatively which made Chad smile, "Thatta girl. Now we're having fun." He slapped her on the back.

The event coordinator continued, "Anyone else? Great. Next shot – From the neck."

Chad smiled at Casey, brushed her wavy brown hair from her shoulder, and slowly licked her neck, causing shivers to run up Casey's spine. He sprinkled the salt, put a lime in her mouth, and tucked the cup between her breasts. With wide-eyes, Casey stood perfectly still as he licked her neck and picked up the cup with his teeth before throwing it back, and sucking the lime from her lips.

Heat rushed over her, and she looked nervously at the other contestants and people watching before she placed her hands on Chad's shoulders and pulled him toward her. She licked his neck, sprinkled the salt, placed the lime in his mouth, and settled the cup in the waist band of his shorts, before she grimaced and took the shot.

Cheers erupted from the inebriated crowd as the event coordinator began speaking again. "All right everyone. Now we need to eliminate the three teams with the lamest shot! Did you like team one?"

The crowd cheered. The event coordinator continued down the row of contestants. It might have been Casey's imagination, but she thought the loudest cheers might have been for her and Chad. It gave her the courage to continue, that and the fact that the tequila was starting to work its magic.

After the three losing teams exited, the event coordinator continued. "Alright, that leaves four teams. Next shot – Navel."

Casey shook her head slightly at Chad, but he didn't notice.

"Lay down on the table Case."

Startled, Casey asked, "Do what?"

Chad gestured impatiently. "You need to lay down so I can suck the tequila from your navel."

Wide-eyed and apprehensive, Casey allowed Chad to hoist her onto the table. His hands played at the edge of her halter top for just a moment before he was removing the garment.

"Um, is that really necessary," she whispered.

Unconcerned by Casey's question, Chad replied, "You don't want your shirt wet do you?" He smirked. "Just lay down Case and relax."

_Right, just relax. You're here to have fun. _Casey laid down on the table, but popped her head up to watch as he licked the length of skin between her navel and red bikini top. Her heart pounded in her chest as he sprinkled the salt, sat the lime between her breasts, and poured the tequila into her navel. It wasn't Casey's imagination this time when the on-lookers let out loud cries and cat-calls.

Chad decided he would stand for his turn and had Casey lick his stomach before applying the salt. She placed the lime in his mouth and then knelt in front of him as she lapped up the tequila he poured down his chest before she licked the whole way up to his mouth and took the lime. More cheers erupted.

"Okay folks." Casey heard the event coordinator's voice. "Let's eliminate two more teams."

When the crowd cheered for Chad and Casey, he picked her up and swung her around. "See this is what having fun is all about. Aren't you glad you listened to me and participated?"

Casey was feeling a little nauseous and could only nod her head in reply.

The event coordinator calmed the crowd down. "Two teams left now. Last shot – nipple."

Casey rounded on Chad. "N-nipple. What does that mean?"

Chad laughed at Casey's naivete. He breathed into her ear with a deep voice causing shivers of apprehension to run through her body. "I get to lick your nipple."

She wasn't completely drunk yet, her tolerance increasing daily, so she wasn't entirely comfortable with this shot. She scanned the crowded looking for _anyone_ she knew to help her out of the situation. Chad was already planning her shot.

Ralph had been attracted to the large noisy crowd, and had watched as Casey allowed Chad to first lick innocently at her wrist, then at her neck, and finally her torso. As much as it turned him on, he also recognized the panic in Casey's eyes when the announcement was made that the last shot would involve her nipple. He looked around and saw Blair and Rob dancing nearby, ignoring the contest.

"Hey guys," Rob greeted his friends' friends from college.

"Hey Ralph," chorused Blair and Rob

Ralph shuffled his feet. "Did you, uh, take notice of that contest they're having over there?" He jerked his thumb in the other direction.

Blair scoffed. "The 'Hottest Body Shot' contest? Yeah, I heard the guy announcement it. Disgusting. Why?"

Ralph tipped his head to the side and scratched his cheek. "Uh, well, Casey's in it, and I think..."

"Casey's in what?" Shrieked Blair, grabbing Ralph's arm.

Ralph's brow creased and he shook his head. _And people think I'm the dumb one._"Uh, the contest. I just told you."

Blair rolled her eyes and retorted, "I heard what you said. I just don't believe it. Who'd she enter it with? Weren't they looking for teams?"

"I don't know. Some tall blond surfer type guy." Ralph shrugged. _It's not like he had a name tag._

"Chad," Blair growled through clenched teeth. She turned to Rob. "We need to go rescue her right now." She said, grabbing both boys by the arms, and headed in the direction of the crowd.

Back at the contest, Chad explained the shot to her. "I'm going to lay down this time, and first you're going to lick both my nipples, before sprinkling the salt. Then, you're going to set the shot glass on my navel and the lime in my pants." Casey nodded mutely. "Oh and after you lick up the salt, I want you to lick down to the shot and pick it up with your teeth." Chad smiled at he jumped onto the table and started to lay down. "Got it?"

Again Casey nodded and forced a smile on her face so he wouldn't know how nervous she was. She wasn't hesitant about taking her shot, but was very worried about what _he_ would be doing to _her_.

From the crowd, Blair, Rob, and Ralph pushed their way through to the front just in time to see Casey take her turn.

"What the hell?" Rang out a voice beside them.

"D! How's it going?" Ralph greeted Derek with a slap on the back.

But Derek only saw Casey licking some slime-ball's nipples. What had happened to his keener? Leaving his pretty red-headed companion in the crowd, he charged forward. "What the fuck, Casey?" Casey looked up at him with surprise, and spit out the lime. She was so embarrassed she didn't even correct his language, just stood there silently, face burning. "Are you having fun, Case? Should I take a picture and send it to our parents?" He yelled and held up his phone.

"N-n-no," she stuttered quietly.

He grabbed her arm and started to lead her away. "C'mon, I'm taking you back to the room."

Chad grabbed her other arm. "Dude, what do you think you're doing? We're in the middle of a contest, and I'm pretty sure we're going to win."

"Sorry, Dude," Derek sneered at the taller boy. "She has to drop out. Next time find a sucker _without_ friends to protect her." He pulled at Casey's arm. "Tell this guy to fuck off."

"Der-ek! Language."

He rolled his eyes.

"Um, look Chad, I really should be going. I've had fun, but..."

"Casey," Chad said squeezing her arm too tight, "You can't be serious. We're one-shot away from winning. The crowd loves us. You can't just quit now."

Derek saw her wince when Chad tightened his grip. He took a step forward, right in the blond boy's face. "I said, she's leaving. Now let go of her."

Chad leaned closer to Derek's face. "Make me."

Two hands clamped down on Chad's shoulders, and two more on the arm that was clasping Casey.

"I'd listen to him, man." Rob said behind Chad.

"Yeah," said Ralph who was holding onto Chad's arm and wrist, "D's pretty protective of Casey. You don't want to mess with him."

"Who is she? Your sister?" Chad sneered.

"Something like that," said Sam, coming out of no-where behind Derek.

Finally sensing he was outnumbered, and not drunk enough to be foolish, Chad released Casey's arm. "See you tomorrow, beautiful," he winked at Casey, "when your bodyguards aren't around." Then he shook off Rob and Ralph and walked away.

Fully recovered, Casey shook off Derek. "Butt out and leave me alone! I can take care of myself. It was just a harmless contest." She turned on her heel and stomped off.

The guys looked at each other in surprise and shrugged. _I just don't know what goes on inside her head_, Derek thought, before turning toward the crowd and looking for his red-head.

~LwD~

That next day, mid-morning, Casey and Derek were alone in their shared room.

Derek was slouched in the recliner watching ESPN, but he was distracted by Casey flitting around the room. "What are you doing?"

Casey ruffled through her drawers. "Getting stuff together to do my laundry. I'm almost out of clothes."

Derek raised an eyebrow as his attention turned back to the television. "With as little as you're wearing, how's anyone going to tell?" He said under his breath.

"DE- REK!"

He rolled his eyes, then trying not to smile, he stood up. He walked over to his suitcase, picked up an arm load of clothes and dumped them onto Casey. "Do mine too."

Casey sputtered as she waved his stinky clothes off her. "I will NOT! You can do them yourself!" She picked up one of his socks and threw it at his head.

He laughed and ducked. "You wash, I'll fold."

Casey regarded him with suspicion. "What's in it for you?"

He shrugged and gave her a look. "Clean clothes, of course."

Casey relaxed, slightly mollified. "Okay."

~LwD~

The next afternoon, Derek paced around the shared condo, while Sam lounged in a large recliner watching ESPN in Spanish.

"I can't _believe_ Casey did that last night. That creep was about to take off her top, and she would have let him."

"I don't think she would have let things get that far, D." Sam replied, usually the voice of reason.

"Uh, Sam? Are we talking about the same girl here? The girl who was so drunk the second night here that she ended up dancing on a table in her bikini top? The girl _you_ helped to get drunk before the party even started?"

Sam grimaced. Derek was suddenly acting more like Casey than, well, Casey was at the moment.

"She's just trying to have fun, D. Y'know, what _we're_ supposed to be doing?" _Instead of sitting inside watching TV._

Derek continued to pace. "How can I have fun when I have to keep saving her from herself?"

"Maybe she doesn't want saved." Sam shrugged, and tried to concentrate on the the girls beach volleyball being shown on the TV.

"Are you kidding?" Derek exploded. "Of course she wants saved. She just doesn't know it."

Sam gave Derek a dubious look. "Whatever you say, man."

Derek continued to pace for a another minute, until Sam spoke again. "So what are we going to do today?"

Derek sighed, and stopped in front of Sam, hands on his hips. "Do you still have that schedule?"

Sam's eyebrows shot up, "_Casey's_ schedule?"

"Of course, Casey's schedule." Derek replied, throwing his hands up in the air. "Who else makes vacation schedules?"

Sam leaned forward in the chair and removed his wallet from his back pocket. He pulled out the paper folded in fours and handed it to his friend.

Derek leaned against the wall as he opened the color-coded schedule. "What would make a good activity," he muttered to himself. After a few more moments of deliberation, he looked at Sam. "What about para-sailing?"

Sam tore his eyes from the TV screen. "What?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Para-sailing. Let's do that today."

Sam shrugged, "Okay D. Do you want to text everyone or should I?"

Derek shook his head in exasperation. "I already told you Sammy, no one else can know these are my ideas."

Now it was Sam's turn to roll his eyes as he pulled his cell from his pocket and began typing.

**AN: Thanks so much for the reviews so far. Keep reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Rated PN for Partial Nudity...**

_Derek shook his head in exasperation. "I already told you Sammy, no one else can know these are my ideas."_

_Now it was Sam's turn to roll his eyes as he pulled his cell from his pocket and began typing._

_~LwD~_

After driving out a bit from the dock, the guide turned toward the group. "Are you kids going individually or in groups of two?" He asked.

The friends looked at each other.

"I don't want to go alone," said Emily, grinning nervously.

"Me either," chimed in Casey.

Blair turned to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around him. "You'll go with me, won't you Rob?"

"Whipped." Derek coughed into his hand.

Rob shot a glare at him before wrapping his arms around Blair and telling her yes.

"Well we _men_ will be going solo, right Sammy and Ralph?" Derek announced, chest puffed out.

"Hook me up, dude. I want to go first," replied Ralph, with a smile that spread from ear to ear.

Casey turned to Emily and grabbed her hands. "I'm so excited."

"Me too." Squealed Emily as they hopped a little, causing the guys to exchange looks.

The gang watched as Ralph took flight. When he landed, the look of glee on his face was infectious. "I felt like Peter Pan!" He announced, opening his arms and spinning around. "That was so awesome. You're gonna love it."

Blair and Rob decided to go next, but first they needed to be harnessed in.

"You can't take your phones with you. You'll need to have someone hold them." The guide told them.

"Hey, I can hold them since I already went." Volunteered Ralph, and he started collecting everyone's phones. "Give me yours, D." He said with an outstretched hand.

Derek held up his empty hands. "I didn't bring mine because I didn't want to lose it."

Ralph shrugged and turned toward Casey.

"I left mine in the room, too."

"Guess I have them all then," said Ralph as he starting stuffing phones into various pockets.

Sam pointed a finger at his friend. "Don't drop them." He instructed sternly. Sam wasn't so sure Ralph was the best candidate for the job.

"Don't worry man. Nothing's going to happen." Ralph reassured one of his oldest friends with a clap on the back.

Sam rolled his eyes, unconvinced.

Casey held tight onto Emily's hand as she watched Blair and Rob sail into the sky. She let out a yelp as the wind pulled her friends to the side, and Emily noticed her friend was taking deep breaths.

Emily gave her a hard look. "You're not freaking out, are you Case?"

"What? Me? Freak-out? N-no." She stuttered and waved a dismissive hand, but her eyes were wild.

Derek snorted causing Casey to round on him. "I definitely am _not_ going to freak out up there." She pointed to the sky and when she did she looked up and watched Blair and Rob for a moment. "Much." She amended, biting her lip.

"Ca-sey," whined Emily, her shoulders slumping.

Casey threw up her hands, "Okay, so I'm a little nervous." She jumped when Blair let out a scream as the wind caught the sail and jerked them to the right. "Okay, I'm freaked out. Totally freaked out." She started pacing and wringing her hands.

Derek groaned, "Okay Sam, you take Emily and I'll take the scaredy cat."

Casey turned to Derek and opened her mouth, but he stopped her before she could speak. "No argument Princess." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "If I didn't drop you in the waterfall, I'm not going to let you fall in the ocean."

His breath on her skin made her shiver and she found herself reluctantly smiling at his words. She slowly nodded her approval to the buddy arrangements. Sam and Emily decided to go first, leaving Derek and Casey to go last.

The guide helped Derek and Casey harness into the sail; Derek behind her. Casey closed her eyes as they took off. When they were securely in the air, Derek yelled at her to open her eyes. She opened first one eye, then the second. "Wow," she gasped, "The guide was right. The best view of the beach is from the sky. This rocks!"

Derek couldn't help but chuckle at Casey's comments. She was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. "Yeah, it's pretty incredible." He agreed. He adjusted his grip on the guide bar and slipped an arm around her waist. She was warm, and her skin tingled against his.

All too soon, the guide was pulling the rope in. They unbuckled from the harness and Casey started toward Emily to give her a hug; however, she tripped over a rope on the boat deck and instead knocked into Ralph who was busy pulling phones out of his pockets and wasn't paying attention and fell overboard.

"Ralph!" Casey screamed rushing to the side of the boat.

Derek started laughing hysterically. "Klutzilla strikes again."

Ralph bobbed to the surface. "I'm okay!" He raised his fists triumphantly in the air.

"Where are our phones!" Exclaimed Sam, leaning over the side of the boat.

"Phones?" Asked Ralph, still in the water.

"Our cell phones!" Yelled Emily with an edge in her voice.

"Oh." He held up his empty hands and looked at them as he continued to tread water. "Uh, I was just holding them."

Everyone groaned as Derek continued to laugh.

The guide hauled Ralph back into the boat and handed him a towel to dry off. "Sorry guys," Ralph said to his friends.

Emily sighed, "It's okay. It wasn't _your_ fault." She said casting a glare at Casey. Derek let out a snort.

Casey looked panicked. "I'll replace them as soon as we get back home. I promise."

"Boy am I glad my phone is charging back in the room," said Ralph.

Four sets of eyes swiveled to him. "What?"

Derek broke into laughter again.

~LwD~

Casey walked downstairs and toward the swimming pool. "Excuse me, can you help me?" Casey smiled sweetly at the cute brown-eyed boy wearing red board shorts.

The brown-haired boy couldn't believe his good luck at having such a beautiful girl come up to him, even if she was wearing an loose orange shirt with an orangutang on it. "Uh, sure, what do you want me to do?"

"I've lost my stepbrother." She pouted, blue eyes wide.

"Oh, that's awful. How old is he?" The boy replied in a worried voice, wondering if maybe she was at the resort with her family and underage.

"Nineteen."

The boy blinked. "Isn't he old enough to take care of himself?"

Casey scowled. "Yes, but I need to find him now." She stamped her foot. She grabbed the boy's shoulders. "Just stand here and talk to me."

The boy stood, puzzled. "Uh huh...why?"

She looked around impatiently. "Every time I'm talking to a cute guy, he shows up and..."

"Casey! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Derek grabbed her arm and lead her away.

"Thank you!" Casey called out as Derek lead her away, leaving behind a very confused, but cute, guy.

"Casey, what were you doing talking to that guy when you knew the games were about to start?"

Emily jumped in before Casey could answer Derek. "Casey! Where have you been? And, eww, what are you wearing?"

Remembering now why she needed to find Derek, Casey turned to him. She walked over to where he was fiddling with a pinata trying to hang it. She took a deep breath and shoved him hard in the back. "Der-ek!"

He stumbled, but was too cool to fall. "What was that for?"

"Where are my clothes?" She shouted at Derek before whipping around to Emily. "That's why I'm late. All my clothes are missing – Derek."

Rolling his eyes, Derek turned back to the pinata, trying to get ready for the Greek games relay race. "How am I supposed to know Space-Case? I wouldn't touch your clothes with a ten foot pole."

"Oooo, Derek. You better give back my...my underthings or else."

He laughed, "Or else what? You're going to tell Dad and Nora? Grow up Casey."

Casey glared and growled but said no more.

Just then, the whistle blew and Emily grabbed Casey and dragged her to the starting line for the relay race. "The rules are," announced the event coordinator, "team with the best time wins. If at any time the orange drops, that team member must go back to his or her starting line and begin again." There were four tasks in the race and Casey was first. She had to hold an orange under her chin and crab walk 25 feet. At her finish line she had to transfer that orange to Emily without using her hands. Emily then had to hop on one foot 25 feet to Derek. After the orange was transferred, Derek and Sam had to wheelbarrow race to Ralph. Ralph, while still holding onto the orange, had to break open the pinata.

Casey came in second and passed the orange onto Emily. Just a few hops in, Emily dropped the orange and had to start again, but once the orange passed to Derek, he and Sam made up for lost time and were in first when Ralph took the orange. Ralph had been given the task of breaking the pinata, after all he didn't hold the cross-checking record in high school for nothing. Ralph hit the pinata hard and he felt the hard cardboard weaken. He stepped back, raised his arms and readied his swing. BANG! The head of the pinata flew off.

"Der-ek!"

But he barely heard her over his convulsions of laughter.

Casey rushed forward and started gathering her unmentionables as quickly as she could, all the while muttering unmentionables under her breath.

~LwD~

Emily and Casey sat in the condo shared by the step-siblings. They couldn't afford the spa, so they were giving each other a mani/pedi and trying new hair styles for the party that night.

"I have had so much fun this week Case. I'm so glad you invited me." Emily gushed, bouncing on the bed.

"You're one of my closest friends. I couldn't imagine being here without you. What have you had the most fun doing?" Casey asked, bouncing along with her.

"Oh man. I don't think I could pick just one thing. We've been zip-lining, para-sailing, and the Greek games yesterday were a ton of fun." Emily waved her hands in the air in her excitement.

Casey scowled.

"Aww, c'mon Case. It was just a prank." Emily lightly slapped Casey's arm.

Casey grabbed her arm, wounded. "An _embarrassing_ prank, Em! Everyone saw my...my...my underthings," she hissed.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Let it go. The day as a whole was fun."

Casey smiled reluctantly, "Yeah I had a lot of fun yesterday too." Then she smiled a little broader, "I can't believe Derek won the Slip-n-Slide bowling!"

"I know! How did he ever pick up all those big plastic beer bottles when he was sliding so fast toward them?"

Casey continued to laugh. "I don't know! I could only grab one."

Emily laughed, too. "The best part was when Ralph backed up and took a running dive onto the slide."

"I didn't think he was ever going to stop!" Casey finished for her friend.

"Me either," said Emily, dissolving into giggles again.

After several more minutes of giggles, the girls finally calmed down, and Emily changed the subject. "I noticed you were dancing with Chad again last night."

Casey dropped her gaze, "Yeah." She answered quietly.

"I was kinda surprised to see you with him after that whole body shot contest thing the night before went sour."

Casey shrugged silently and kept her eyes down.

"Did you see him this morning at yoga?" Emily pushed.

"He _is_ the instructor," Casey defended herself.

"He's pretty hot," conceded Emily.

Casey blushed, "Yeah."

"Do you really like him Case?"

Casey bit her lip as she looked at her friend. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I think I'm attracted to him like a crow is to a shiny object. I don't think I would have ever fallen for him if I had met him at school, but here...it's like I can be a different person for a few days."

"You've certainly been acting like a different person," muttered Emily under her breath, as Casey turned away to choose a nail polish from her bag. Aloud she said, "You know Derek doesn't seem to like Chad much."

Casey snorted. "As if I care what Derek thinks. _Does_ he even think?"

"Case," Emily said in a diplomatic tone, "I'm pretty sure Derek does care about you."

Casey huffed, "Well he sure has a funny way of showing it. Do you know how many times he's pranked or fought with me this week?"

"He wouldn't prank you if he didn't like you."

"Could've fooled me!" Casey said folding her arms across her chest and smearing her wet nail polish.

"If he truly couldn't stand you, he wouldn't bother." Emily untangled Casey's arms and started to fix the smeared nail.

Casey snorted again.

"Have you ever thought about what it was like for him to suddenly have a girl, his own age, living in his house? It was probably pretty hard."

"Hard? For him? What about me? It was hard for _me_. _I'm_ the one who had to leave _my_ school, and _my_ friends. _I'm_ the one who had to fight to have a room to myself. In fact, _I_ had to fight for everything in that house."

Emily sighed. Somehow this conversation had regressed Casey to fifteen again. "Look I wasn't trying to upset you. I was just trying to point out how Derek shows he cares about you."

"Hhmmppff," Casey replied, turning away a little from Emily, barely stopping herself from crossing her arms over her chest again.

"Never mind," said Emily, shaking her head. "Will you help me straighten my hair now?"

"Sure," perked up Casey and she rummaged through her friend's bag for the flat iron.

~LwD~

After the spa time with Emily, Casey felt particularly pretty as she entered the party on the patio on the last night of their spring break vacation. She looked around the room for Chad, who had promised to meet her there at 9pm. She found him quickly and with a drink in hand, started dancing. As the hours passed, the dancing became more intimate.

"I've had a really good time this week with you." Chad breathed into Casey's ear.

Casey smiled and blushed a little. "Me too Chad. I'm glad we met."

"This is your last night, right?" His voice was a little husky.

"Umm-hmm," she nodded.

"I was thinking, maybe you'd like to join me in my room tonight." At the hint of protest on Casey's face, he added, "I have a great view of the beach, and it would be a lot quieter to...just talk there." He said smoothly.

Casey looked into his blue eyes and tried to determine if 'talking' was really what he had on his mind. She decided that while she may have had several margarita's, she wasn't drunk enough yet to fall for that line.

"I think I'd really just like to spend my last night here, dancing, and having fun."

Chad shrugged. There were plenty of girls looking for a good time, and he knew that he wouldn't have any trouble finding someone to take Casey's place in his bed. But as he watched her dance, he realized he was really disappointed that he hadn't been able to nail her.

"Dude," a brown haired man greeted Chad with a slap on his shoulder.

"Hey man. 'Sup?" Chad replied. He turned to Casey, "This is my friend Jon. We've got some business to talk about. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay," agreed Casey, secretly glad she would have a few minutes to herself. Chad's hands were starting to wander and she wasn't sure how comfortable she was with that. She watched the guys cross the dance floor to a semi-hidden corner of the room.

"That the yoga girl?" Jon asked his friend, nodding at the brunette.

"Yup." Chad replied with a smirk.

"Dude, she's a nice little piece of ass." Jon gave Chad a high-five on his achievement.

"She's a prude little piece of ass." Chad correctly his friend in a mutter.

"I've got just the remedy to that." Jon said with a wicked smile.

Over in the corner, Jon and Chad made an exchange before he returned to Casey.

A few minutes later, Chad joined his beautiful brunette yoga student again. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," she smiled.

"So, Case. Do you think you've proven your brother wrong this week? About your ability to have fun?" He asked slyly.

_Step-brother_, she amended mentally. She tossed her head, making her curls bounce, a smug smile on her face. "Yeah, I think I've broken all his previous preconceptions of me being a goody-goody."

"I bet there's one last thing left for you to try." His voice held a challenge.

Her brows knit together in puzzlement. "What's that?"

Chad pulled out a little bag with small white rolled...cigarettes? _Ewww. They look smaller and thinner than usual. They must be special Mexican cigarettes. _"Wanna try one?"

"No thanks," Casey politely refused, shaking her head.

"C'mon Casey. Have a little fun. Are you 18 or 80?" He was inches from her face.

_C'mon, lighten up, Spacey. You're 18 going on 50. _

With sudden resolve, Casey reached for the smoke that Chad was all to eager to light. She inhaled deeply and began to cough raucously. Chad barely contained his laughter. If he could convince her to keep smoking, he may just have a chance of getting her back to his room tonight.

Casey looked around for Emily. That was definitely not a cigarette.

"What's wrong, Case?"

"This isn't a cigarette." She said, still coughing.

Chad chuckled and leaned close to her ear. "I never said it was." His breath on her skin made her shiver in disgust.

She tried to hand the joint back to him. "Keep it, Case. It won't take long to finish it."

"I don't want to finish it." Her eyes were watering from the coughing.

"Why not? I thought you were here to let loose. Don't be afraid to live a little dangerously."

_Haven't you ever wanted to live a little...dangerously?_

Casey looked nervously at the joint in her hand, and then looked around for Emily one more time. She didn't see her friend anywhere. She looked again at the joint. What could it hurt to just take a couple of hits? This would be no different from all the other new things she'd experienced this week, right? She sighed and put the joint to her lips again.

An hour later, Chad watched as Casey whipped off her halter top. Grinding against her, he took the opportunity to grope her breasts and kiss her neck. She giggled and gave him a seductive look as she reached behind her and unclasped the red bikini.

Chad silently blessed the pot gods as he lifted Casey's bikini over her head and _finally_ got a look at her assets, and what beautiful, round, supple assets they were. The marijuana had completely mellowed Casey out, and Chad intended on taking full advantage.

**AN: Special Thanks goes out to: leanaplumz, sammy sosa the 13th, kmr04, NiteFang, nottingham12, Dark-Supernatural-Angel, , not complaining, teQuiero.0, Silverian Rose, Frogster, Odi3, loveurlife, wprincessannw, buckbeaker, TheMavster, gothicluver13 **


	7. Chapter 7

**Rated L for language**

_Chad silently blessed the pot gods as he lifted Casey's bikini over her head and finally got a look at her assets, and what beautiful, round, supple assets they were. The marijuana had completely mellowed Casey out, and Chad intended on taking full advantage. _

~LwD~

It was their last night of vacation, and Derek fully intended on enjoying it. He had met a ton of beautiful girls this week, and tonight he was going to hook up with one. He didn't care what kind of stunt Casey pulled, he came on this trip to enjoy himself, and she would just have to get herself out of whatever mess she got into.

He had been dancing and flirting with the same girl for almost two hours. It was soon going to be time to make his move. He saw the beautiful redhead approach with the drinks she had volunteered to get at the bar. The closer she came, Derek noticed a disgusted look on her face, and had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Thanks," Derek said apprehensively as he took the drink from the beauty.

She made a disgusted sound. "Oh my God, some guys are, like, such perverts."

Unsure if she meant him, Derek wisely kept his mouth shut.

"On my way back from the bar, this guy, like, grabbed my ass and said 'Is your pussy as tight as your ass?' Can you, like, believe that?"

Derek's eyes widened in disbelief. "Who was it?"

She turned around, searching. "That blond pretty boy over there with, like, a blond on each arm. See he's kissing the one." She said, pointing.

Derek looked, then stared harder as his eyes narrowed. "The one wearing no shirt and blue board shorts?"

"Yep, that's the one." She looked now at the brown-haired boy in front of her and saw his clenched teeth. Her brow creased, "Uh Derek. He was just, like, some random perv. You don't need to, like, go defend my honor or anything."

_It's not -your- honor I'm worried about,_ thought Derek. "Excuse me." He said to the girl without so much as a look of apology. He marched over to Chad and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, I need to speak with you."

"Hey man, plenty of babes here, go find yourself one." The taller blond man turned back to his beauties.

"Actually that's why I'm here. I'm looking for one girl in particular. Where's Casey?"

"Who?"

"Casey. The brunette?" Derek clarified in disbelief that this guy that Emily had told him was practically stalking his step-sister didn't know her name.

Chad returned the question with a blank stare.

"From yoga?"

The light turned on. "Oh yeah, that chick." He shrugged. "Probably in jail. I haven't seen her since the security guards dragged her away." He turned back to the blond girl on his left and nuzzled her neck.

"WHAT!" Derek shoved him, causing the man to lose his grip on the girls.

"Hey what was that for?" Chad asked confused, facing Derek, and forgetting about the girls for the moment.

"Why would she be going to jail?" Derek said through clenched teeth, stepping into Chad's face.

Chad's demeanor was causal. "Well I think the jail thing's because she punched the security officer."

"Punched the..." Derek put a hand to his head. "Why?"

"She thought he was trying to touch her titties."

"Touch her..." Derek took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. He knew he needed to control himself long enough the hear the whole story. "Why would she think..."

Chad interrupted, anxious to end the conversation. "Well she was high..."

Derek spluttered.

"And she was naked..." Continued Chad.

"Naked," Derek choked.

Chad shrugged again, and took a step back. "Topless." The light went back on. "Oh yeah...here's her bikini," he said pulling the red garment from his back pocket, and flipped it to Derek.

Derek caught it, shivered, and stuck it in his back pocket. He noticed Chad was trying to inch away, so he laid a hand on the taller man's shoulder. "Let me get this straight...Casey was high," Chad nodded. "_How_ did she get high?"

"Well," Chad replied, looking at Derek like he was stupid, "That's what usually happens when people smoke."

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose and took another deep breath. "_What_ did she smoke?"

"Eh, a little of this, a little of that."

Derek sighed in frustration and shook his head. "So Casey was high...and then she took her top off?"

Chad smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. "She had a little help, if ya know what I mean." He said elbowing Derek as if they were friends.

Derek's fists and teeth clenched again. "Then the security officer showed up and asked her to put her top back on, right?"

"Yup. He tried to hand her the top and she thought he was trying to touch her." Chad laughed, "She kicked him in the balls."

Derek could just imagine. "So when she assaulted him, he had to take her to jail?"

"I guess." Chad said with another casual shrug.

Derek had heard enough. He punched Chad. "You get her high." Punch! "Expecting to fuck her." Punch! "And when things get out of control you just leave her to hang while you find a new girl to fuck?" Punch! "Prick."

Chad, high himself, could do nothing but slump to the ground.

Derek looked down on the broken man with a satisfied smile on his face. Now he needed to find Casey. Suddenly, two large hands clamped down on his shoulders. He jerked to fling them off and turned, realizing it was two beefy security officers, and the fight went out of him. "You're coming with us, son."

Derek started to open his mouth to explain, then realized this would be his chance to find Casey. He looked back at Chad's bloody and bruised face and grinned happily.

~LwD~

Casey, dressed in her denim mini and an extra security officer button down shirt, was led into the small Mexican jail. She was fingerprinted and patted down and thoroughly humiliated. After a lot of insisting and some crying, the jailer allowed her to make a phone call. Since it was close to 1am, the jail only had two officers on duty. They had taken her cellphone when she had first arrived, but now had to reluctantly give it back to her, since she didn't know any of her friends numbers by heart. There was no hesitation as she dialed.

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring...You've reached Venturi. Sorry I missed you, but I'm out livin' life. See ya on the flip side.

Frustrated Casey slammed the phone shut and started to cry because she had just used her one phone call on the biggest jerk she knew.

"Sin lagrimas, sin lagrimas," the officer repeated.

Casey looked at him in confusion. He gestured and finally she understood that he wanted her to stop crying. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that no one answered."

The guard regarded her with a creased brow. "Puede realizar otra llamada telefonica."

"What?"

"Puede realizar otra llamada telefonica." He repeated himself and gestured to show himself making a phone call.

"Oh! I can call someone else?"

"Si, Si," said the guard, relieved that the girl had stopped crying.

Casey scrolled through her phone. Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring...Hey you've reached Emily. Sorry I missed your call. Leave a message."

Casey looked at the guard with wide, misty eyes.

"Seguir llamando, seguir llamando," he said urgently, motioning again like he was making a telephone call.

Casey flashed him a bright smile and scrolled through the phone again. She tried Sam next, then Blair, then Rob. All calls went straight to voice mail. What were her friends doing? She scrolled again through her contacts. Ralph was the only one left. Wait. Ralph. He had dropped everyone's phones in the ocean except hers, his, and Derek's, which only renewed her anger with Derek for not answering. She called Ralph and on the second ring he picked up.

"Hey Case! 'Sup?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. "I need you to find Derek."

"Uh, okay...Why?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm in jail."

"Jail? I thought you were in Mexico?" Ralph questioned, genuinely perplexed.

Casey groaned in frustration. "I'm in a Mexican jail."

"That doesn't sound like much fun."

"It's not! That's why I need you to find Derek and get me out."

"Get you out of where?"

"Jail!" Casey exclaimed so loudly the jailer jumped.

"You mean we need to break you out?"

"No, no, no. Just...just find Derek please." Casey paced the cell, biting her fingernails.

"Okay-dokay, Case."

"Wait!"

"Yeah?"

"I have to tell you where I am. I'm at the CÁRCEL DE MÉXICO QUE NADIE SE RECUERDA LO ANTES huyen."

Casey listened while he stumbled through a reasonable approximation of the name. "Got it."

Ralph clicked off. Casey sighed and sent a plea heaven-ward that Ralph would remember the name of the jail and wouldn't get distracted before finding Derek.

The guard noticed that she appeared to have made contact with someone and stuck out his hand for her cellphone. She clutched it tightly for a moment before reluctantly handing it over. He lead her back to the women's cell.

There were only two cells in the small jail. One for women and one for men. Casey was initially thankful that the genders were separated, but upon taking a closer look at her cell-mates, she wondered if it really was a good thing. There were three other females in the cell with her, and they were obviously...women of the night. Two had dark teased hair and the third was a bottle blond. They wore garish makeup and too tight clothes. One of the dark-haired women noticed Casey's sneer and raised an eyebrow. "You think you so special? You not even have shirt."

Casey's face turned ashen and she looked down at the blue top she was wearing. She huddled further back into the corner and turned toward the wall, crying. Her high had been abruptly cut short.

~LwD~

"Find Derek. Find Derek." Ralph muttered as he started wading through the crowd of hot, sweaty bodies on the dance floor.

On the other side of the dance area, Emily approached Sam, hating to interrupt him, but seriously worried about Casey. "Hey, Sam," she said tapping him on the shoulder.

"Oh hey Em! This is Courtney. Courtney this is my friend Emily. We went to high school together. She's part of the crew this week."

Courtney smiled at Sam, but changed the expression on her face when she turned toward Emily. "Hello," she said coldly.

Emily looked at Sam, but he was grinning, oblivious to the jealousy. "Have you seen Casey?" she asked, ignoring the blonde.

"No why?" Sam's eyes narrowed, "You were supposed to be watching her."

"Well, uh, I was. It's just that this really cute guy asked me to dance, and I couldn't say _no._ Then we walked over to the bar for a drink, and it was so hot we walked away from the crowd." Assessing Sam's disapproving look, she quickly added, "Just for a bit. Then we came back inside. I haven't seen her or Chad for..." she glanced at her watch and grimaced, "over an hour."

Sam ran a hand over his face. "Let's find Derek."

Emily made a face. "Do you really think that's necessary? We could just look for Casey. Maybe they went down to the beach, too."

Sam paused to consider, "Alright, we'll look around, but if we don't find her in half an hour, then we find Derek."

Emily grinned, "Deal."

~LwD~

An hour passed and neither Derek or her friends showed. Just when Casey began to feel very depressed, she heard a commotion in the outer room, but chose to stay huddled in the corner. The other women in her cell started to whistle and make suggestive comments to whomever the officer had just brought in.

"Callate que putas," yelled the guard.

Casey wasn't sure what the guard said, but it must have been derogatory, because the women hissed and the blond one spat.

"Establecerse," he said waving his baton. The women glared, but were quiet.

She heard the guard speaking to the new prisoner, but never looked up, lost in her own misery. Several minutes later she heard the cell door being unlocked and steps approach. Finally she looked up and saw a young man. He sat down beside her, bars separating them. Casey hadn't _wanted_ to sit close to the men's cell, but the toilet was in the opposite corner of her cell, and one of the raven-haired women had already wretched in it twice, so she had no choice. Besides, there was only one man in the other cell, passed out on the floor, so she wasn't too concerned about him.

"And Dad and Nora think I'm the delinquent."

Casey's eyes glistened...with rage. "You jerk. How could you let this happen?" She spat out.

Derek moved back, "Hey I'm not the one who got high with some stranger and took my shirt off."

"I hate you." She hissed.

Derek rolled his eyes, as he moved closer again. "Tell me something I don't know."

Casey's eyes shot daggers. "You're supposed to take care of me."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm supposed to do what?"

"Take care of me. You always take care of me." She said vehemently.

"What are you talking about?"

Casey growled in frustration, and shook her finger through the bars. "When I'm in trouble, you always manage to show up, whether I need help or not."

"I do?"

She argued aggressively, poking him through the bars. "Yes, you do. It's like you have some 'knight in shining armor' complex."

Derek held up his in hands in surrender. "Whoa, Case. I think you might still be buzzed. I definitely do not have a 'knight in whatever complication'."

"Complex. Knight in shining armor _complex_." She reiterated in annoyance.

"Whatever. I think you're the one with the complex, Miss Damsel in Distress."

Casey gasped dramatically, eyes widening. "Damsel in Distress? I am so not a Damsel in Distress. Take that back."

Derek smirked and shrugged, "If the shoe fits."

"Jerk."

~LwD~

Sam and Emily didn't find Derek, but they did run into Rob and Blair.

"Y'know, I haven't seen Derek around for a while either." Rob commented as he looked around the room.

Sam rolled his eyes, "If I know D, he's probably holed up somewhere with a girl. He was determined to have a good last night, if you know what I mean." He winked at the other guy.

"Eww..." said the girls in unison, making the boys laugh.

"Let's split up and search for Casey. We'll meet back here in 15 minutes, okay?"

The four agreed, and set out in opposite directions.

~LwD~

Several silent minutes passed before Derek broke the ice with a cough. "By the way, here," he said, pulling the red bikini top out of his back pocket and tossing it through the bars.

Casey gasped. "Where did you get that?"

"Where do you think?" Replied Derek, dryly, leaning back against the wall.

"You saw Chad?" She asked in surprise.

He rolled his eyes, and grabbed the bars. "How do you think I ended up here, Princess?"

Casey's eyes narrowed. "How _did_ you end up here, Der."

Derek smirked, still proud of himself. "I beat up Chad."

"You what?"

He shrugged.

"Why did you beat him up?"

Derek gave her an incredulous look. "Because he got you high and allowed you to...er...expose yourself. That guy was a rat-bastard, Case. You sure know how to pick the losers."

She pouted. "He wasn't a loser..." Derek gave her a hard look. "At first," she amended, "All right he was pretty scummy."

He nodded but didn't say anything.

"So you beat him up...for me?" She asked in a small voice.

He replied with a chuckle. "I sure didn't beat him up for me."

Casey giggled, smiling shyly. "Thanks, Sir Derek."

He blushed. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. You'll have to fend off the next slime-ball you date yourself."

Casey smiled. "Okay."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before the guard came over to the cell door and said something to Derek.

"What?" Derek said, looking to Casey for help.

"I think he wants to know if you need to call someone to bail you out."

"Oh...Did you already call someone?"

Casey sighed. "Ralph. And I told him to find you."

Derek's laughter rang out. "Why would you call Ralph?"

Casey narrowed her eyes. "Because _you_ didn't answer your phone, and everyone else's is at the bottom of the ocean."

He sobered. "Oh yeah, that's right. Well, no worries. Ralph will find the rest of our friends and they'll come."

"What if they don't make it in time?" She panicked.

"In time for what?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "For the plane Derek. We're supposed to fly back tomorrow..." Casey paused to look at her watch. "This morning, actually. It's past 2am."

"Oh...well," he said, scratching the back of his neck, "I'm sure they will find us soon."

"What if they won't let us out? What if they keep us in this jail forever?" She said hysterically, gripping the bars between them.

"Calm down Case. You're over-reacting. Worse case scenario, they fly back without us, tell Dad and Nora where we are and our Dads' will get us out. Okay? Stop worrying."

"Mom and George...and Dad. Oh no, no, no! What if this goes on my permanent record? What if I can't get a job because I was arrested in Mexico? This will ruin my entire future. I'll have to flip burgers for a living, like you!"

Startled, Derek looked her with raised eyes. "Hey! I am not going to flip burgers all my life."

She gave him a dubious look.

"I'm serious Case. I'm taking school seriously. I have all B's this semester."

She looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah." He squared his shoulders. "I know I kinda slacked off first semester, but I'm improving."

"Oh...well I'm glad to hear that. See, being a keener isn't so bad." She said encouragingly.

"Whoa," he held up his hands, "Who said anything about being a keener."

"Der-ek!"

"I'm just teasing Case."

She gave him a small smile. "I know."

**AN: Seriously awesome reviewers. I can't believe how much feedback the last chapter received. Thank you all soooo much.**


	8. Chapter 8

_"Yeah." He squared his shoulders. "I know I kinda slacked off first semester, but I'm improving."_

_"Oh...well I'm glad to hear that. See, being a keener isn't so bad." She said encouragingly._

_"Whoa," he held up his hands, "Who said anything about being a keener."_

_"Der-ek!"_

_"I'm just teasing Case."_

_She gave him a small smile. "I know."_

~LwD~

"Hey Sam. Have you seen D?" Ralph came up to his friend looking a little nervous.

"Ralph!" Sam grabbed him by the shoulders, anxiety written all over his face. "No why? Have you seen Casey?"

Ralph shook his head no. "Gotta find D." He started walking away.

"Wait, Ralph. _Why_ are you looking for Derek?" Sam had a gnawing in the bottom of his stomach.

"No time to talk. Gotta find Derek. Casey said 'Find Derek.'" Ralph elaborated, brow furrowed, hands gesturing.

"Casey!" Sam's eyes were wide, excited. "When did you see Casey?"

Ralph shook his head, still with furrowed brow. "Didn't see Casey. She called."

"Called? Called from _where_?" Sam stood with his hands on his hips blocking Ralph's retreat.

He shrugged. "Her phone."

Sam took a deep breath to compose himself. "Where was she?"

"Oh, jail" Ralph smiled, then scratched his head, "but I can't remember which one she said it was. It sounded foreign."

Sam's eyes bulged. "Jail? She's in a Mexican jail?"

"How'd you know?" Ralph asked, looking genuinely interested.

Sam rubbed his head like he was in pain. "Just tell me everything she said."

After leading Ralph through the whole conversation, Sam steered his friend toward the meeting place, while still keeping a look-out for Derek. He had already decided he would let someone else give Derek the news.

~LwD~

A comfortable silence ensued as 3am turned into 4am then 5am, but Casey's mind was in overdrive. "I'm scared Derek," she said finally.

Derek looked into her blue eyes and saw she was telling the truth, none of the usual dramatics. He made a show of looking around at their sleeping cell mates. "Nothing to be scared of here, Princess." He whispered.

"I..." Casey couldn't finish, emotion choked her throat. Tears slipped down her face, and she saw the flash of panic in his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry," she said hastily and wiped at her cheeks.

His face softened. "Casey, come here." He said gently, and wiggled a hand through the bars.

Casey looked at his hand as if it were diseased.

"I'm not going to pinch you."

Casey cracked a smile through her tears. She leaned against the bars and he did the same. He wiggled his other hand through the bars and cupped her cheek. She sniffled and closed her eyes. His lips press against her hair, and she felt her body relax as his comfort washed over her. For a few moments she forgot the barrier between them and enjoyed the feeling of being cared for.

His thumb moved on her cheek as he wiped away a tear. "Case," he said hoarsely.

She turned her face so that she was looking into his brown eyes, foreheads touching. She covered his hand with her own and smiled softly at him. She saw his eyes flick toward her lips, and she closed her eyes, holding her breath.

~LwD~

Once everyone gathered together again, Sam relayed the story Ralph had just told him about Casey.

"How are we going to find Casey now?" Moaned Emily as she slumped against the wall and closed her eyes.

"We have got to find Derek." Insisted Sam, causing everyone to exchange looks of apprehension. They knew he would be pissed. "Ralph, you still have your phone right?"

"Yeah," replied Ralph, reaching into his pocket and producing the black device.

"Call Derek." Sam commanded, a tone he wasn't used to using.

Ralph groaned and slapped his head, "Why didn't I think of that before?"

Sam grabbed the phone from his friend and dialed.

~LwD~

Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring...Derek's cell phone danced on the guard's desk. The officer had been tipped back in the chair, feet on the desk, and at the ringing he jumped and almost tipped over. As soon as Derek heard the ringing he broke the kiss with Casey.

"Hey, that's my phone. Maybe it's the guys?" He said excitedly.

"Mmmmm," Casey said, still lost in the moment.

Derek jumped up and went over to the cell door. He tried talking to the guard. "That's my phone. Can I have my phone?"

"Que quieres?" said the guard.

Derek pantomimed dialing and calling then pointed to the blue mobile on the desk.

"Usted necesita hacer una llamada telefonica?" asked the guard, scratching his head in puzzlement.

"Yes, yes. I want to make a call." Derek gestured trying to get the guard to hand him the phone.

The guard sighed, then stood and handed the phone through the bars.

'One missed call' flashed on the screen.

"D?" Answered an anxious Sam, when Derek called.

"Sammy! I've never been so happy to hear your voice. I guess you found Ralph?"

"Yes, we're all together, but where are you?"

He laughed. "Jail." Silence. "Sam are you still there?"

"Did you just say jail, D?" Sam asked in a strangled voice.

"Yup," Derek said.

Sam thought his friend sounded strangely cheerful. "I don't suppose, um, that Casey is with you?" He said in a rush and cringing for the explosion sure to follow.

"Yup. Come bail us out Sammy boy. Case is freakin' about missing the plane." Casey had stood up and moved to stand at the front of the cell with Derek. Now she automatically reached out to smack him, but her hand hit the bars instead. Derek laughed loudly.

Sam could not believe how happy and calm his friend sounded. "You and Casey are in jail. I heard that right?"

"Yes," Derek said with a hint of exasperation.

"Okay, tell me where and we'll be there as soon as we can."

~LwD~

"What did he say? What did he say?" Emily asked impatiently hopping up and down.

"He and Casey are in the same jail." Sam replied still in disbelief that not only were they in the _same_ jail, but that they were _in jail_ at all.

"What did they do to land themselves in jail?" Blair yawned, rubbing her eyes, tired from lack of sleep.

"I don't know," Sam replied scratching his head, still dazed by the news that his friends were in jail. He looked at the people in his group, and realized they were all looking at him expectantly. Apparently in the absence of Derek or Casey, his beta status had been upgraded to alpha. He straightened. "It doesn't matter what they did. We can talk on the plane. Right now," he looked at his watch, "it's 5:30am and we need to bail them out and make that flight at 8am. Is everyone packed?"

"No," and "Not exactly," were the sentiments echoed by his friends. "Emily and Blair, you go get everyone packed up and we'll meet you back here at the hotel with Casey and Derek." Sam ordered.

"I don't think so," interjected Emily. "There has to be at least one girl on the rescue team. I don't trust you guys to take care of this alone."

"Emily's right," interjected Blair. She looped her arm through Rob's. "We'll stay back and pack everyone up." She gestured to Sam, Ralph, and Emily, "You're their oldest friends. You should be the ones to help them out."

Sam knew better than to argue with woman logic. "Agreed. Ralph and Emily will come with me."

"Wait," said Blair. "How are we going to get into Casey and Derek's room?"

"Oh," replied Emily, digging into the little black purse she was carrying, "I have an extra room key. Casey insisted I have one in case Derek locked her out." She produced the key card as everyone murmured, "Of course," "That makes sense."

"Now that that's settled," Sam said rubbing his hands together, and turning toward Ralph and Emily, "we need to find transportation and directions to the jail."

~LwD~

It was almost 7am before the three friends arrived at the jail. Finding a vehicle had been tricky. They had had no need to rent a car because the activities at the resort had been all-inclusive. Sam had gone to the front desk first to ask about a rental, but was told none were available. Next Emily went to the security guard office and requested a ride to the local jail, but the officer on duty said he couldn't spare the time to take them. He did give them a map to the jail, though. It was Ralph who finally came up with a solution.

"Who do you think those cars over there belong to?" Ralph asked, jerking his head toward the parking lot behind the hotel.

"Probably the staff." Emily replied absently.

"See that '67 Chevelle over there?" Ralph continued.

"Uh, huh," Sam replied absently.

"I could hot wire that. Would that work?"

Emily and Sam became very still, then looked at each other before turning toward Ralph.

"Did you just say you could hot wire that red Chevelle?" Sam choked out. Briefly he wondered if this vacation could get any weirder. Casey in jail, Derek in jail, and now Ralph was going to hot wire a car in order to bail them out of jail.

"Yup. Old cars aren't that hard to manipulate." Ralph said with a shrug.

"Manipulate? Do you even know what that means?" Emily asked. She couldn't decided if it was more shocking that Ralph knew how to hot wire a car or that he knew the word manipulate.

Ralph answered Emily's question with a frown. "Uh...yeah...it means...uh...you know."

"Never mind," Sam cut in, "if you know how to start the car then let's go. We're running out of time."

The car was unlocked, and Sam and Emily watched as Ralph scooted under the steering wheel. A few minutes later the car roared to life. "See, easy." He said popping up.

"I'll drive," said Sam. Ralph's skills may have gotten them a vehicle but he wasn't convinced his friend could follow the directions to the jail, and did not want _lost_ in Mexico. They already had enough problems.

"I call shotgun, and I'll navigate." Emily called, running around to the passenger door.

Ralph shrugged and crawled in the back seat on the driver's side.

Once on the road, Emily started digging through the glove compartment.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked with irritation.

"Trying to figure out who's car this is." Emily replied as if it was obvious. Finally she found the registration card. "Chad Riker," she read off the paper. "Hey, you don't think that this car belongs to Casey's Chad, do you?"

"Nothing would surprise me at this point," muttered Sam to himself. "Please just navigate Em."

"Alright," she replied grumpily and sat back in the seat.

~LwD~

At the jail, Emily insisted she do the talking. Sam was too tired to argue and Ralph was asleep in the back seat.

"Disculpa," she sweetly approached the guard.

"Si?"

"You speak Spanish?" Sam interrupted in surprise.

She gave him a glare and a 'shush' before turning back to the guard with a smile.

"Mis amigos y yo hemos estado gastando la semana en un hotel local. Anoche... que obtuvo un poco arrastrados." She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Creo fueron llevados a la cárcel, y estamos aquí para rescatarles. Eso si es tan amable como para ayudarnos." She batted her eyes coyly and reached across the desk and brushed her hand against the young guard's.

The officer blushed. "¿Quiénes son sus amigos?"

"Derek Venturi y Casey McDonald. Son..."

The guard was already nodding vigorously. "Sí, sí. Están aquí. Buena suerte tratando les parte tiempo suficiente para procesarlos mediante fianza."

A question flickered through Emily's eyes and Sam now anxiously interrupted. "What did he say? Are they here?"

"He said 'good luck trying to part them long enough to process them through bail'. I wonder what that means?"

Sam looked at his watch and shuffled his feet. "Can we just get on with it. We have to catch that flight soon."

Emily bobbed her head in agreement and turned back to the guard. "Podemos comenzar el proceso de libertad bajo fianza, por favor?"

"Sí. Follow me." He waved the boy and girl to follow him behind the desk.

As soon as the guard entered the back room where the two cells were, he was met with shouts from the female inmates. "Hacerlos detener. Por favor. Hacen detener. Se trata de castigos crueles. Van a me hacen vomitar. Hacen detener."

The guard sighed and shook his head. The shouting was the whole reason he had decided to sit out front even though he wasn't supposed to.

Sam didn't need a translator to understand the disgust felt by the woman sharing Casey's cell. His two friends were pressed against the bars making kissy faces at each other, hands and arms tangled. "Ewww," he murmured.

"Ver," exploded the one woman in Spanglish. "Friend enfermo too. Stop. Parada**.**"

At the sound of the woman speaking in English, Casey and Derek broke apart and looked around.

"Emily!" Casey squealed and ran to the cell door.

Derek at least at the sense to look embarrassed and only nodded to Sam, who raised a eyebrow and gave a slight shake of his head.

~LwD~

Plopping down on the seat next to Sam, Derek breathed a sigh of relief, only to be met with a glance by his best friend.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"Flying back," Derek replied, blinking.

Sam sighed and shook his head. His friend had a lot to learn. "No you're not. Switch seats with Emily." He jerked his thumb toward the girls seated across the aisle and several rows up.

Derek followed his friend's thumb. "W... oh."

"Yeah, oh." Sam clapped Derek on the back and shoved. "Last thing we need is a repeat of what happened on the way here."

Derek waved his friend's concern aside and sat back in his seat. "She's not going to freak o-"

But Sam cast a meaningful glance down the aisle to where Emily was now busy holding a bag to Casey's face and telling her to breathe.

Derek hung his head and hit the armrest with a fist. "Dammit." With a growl, he got up, walked down the aisle, and nudged Emily. "Switch."

Emily smiled gratefully, and immediately ran for the safety of Sam.

Taking the seat next to Casey, Derek grimaced. "Can't you do _anything_ without me?"

Casey blinked, took a deep breath, breathed into the bag, and then reached up and smacked Derek upside the head.

"OW! What the hell...?" He covered his head with his hands and cowered away from her.

"Told you I'd take care of smacking my next boyfriend next time he disrespected me," Casey muttered, as she went back to breathing into the bag, and missing his expression.

Derek blinked, then a slow wide grin crossed his face, and he relaxed back into his seat, folding his hands behind his head. "Ah, life is good."

Casey drove an elbow into his ribs.

**EPILOGUE**

A week later at the McDonald-Venturi residence in London, ON:

"Nora, look at this," George said slowly, as he came in with the mail.

"What is it, George?" Nora said in exasperation, as she chased down Simon, who was clad only in soap bubbles.

"It's a letter from Mexico, from the Canadian Embassy." George regarded his wife with a perplexed look, waving the still unopened envelope in his hand.

"Mexico? Didn't Derek and Casey just..." Nora straightened up and forgot about the naked baby circling the couch.

George ripped open the envelop and skimmed the contents. "It's a police citation."

Nora and George exchanged looks for only a second before, "DER-EK! CA-SEY! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

**THE END**

~LwD~

AN: Thanks so much to everyone who followed along and special thanks to those who have reviewed or made this story a favorite. :)

Thanks to David for reading the original (which is VERY different from this version), making suggestions (understatement), and then basically keeping me focused and the characters in line.


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